E, 


y'l^-.^Z^Ci^a^ 


^WAGNER'S 


Ring  of  the  Nibelong, 


BY 


GUSTAV    KOBB6.  TVU^ 


M 


SIXTH   EDITION, 


New  York  : 

G.   SCHIRMER 

1894. 


Copyrighted,  1889,  by  Gustav  Kobbe. 


CAROLYN  WHEELER  KOBBlfi. 


CONTENTS. 


PACK 

Introduction,    ,..•••  ^ 

The  "  Rhinegold,'  .....        7 

The  "Valkyr,"  .  .  .  .  •  29 


Siegfried,' 


64 


The  "  Dusk  of  the  Gods,"     .  •  .  .  87 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


AT   PAGE 

The  Death  Prophecy,        .  .  .  (Frontispiece) 

A  Rhine-daughter,       .....  7 

Siegfried,     .......      64 

Siegfried's  Death,       '.  .  .  .  .  87 

Bv  Marie  Olga  Kobb£. 

Brunhilde,  ...  .  .  .  .  ,29 

By  Stevens  &  Morris. 


LEADING   MOTIVES. 


Brflnhilde.     . 
Briinhilde's  Awakening, 
Briinhilde's  Love, 
Briinhilde's  Pleading, 

Compact, 

Compact  with  the  Giants. 

Curse,     .... 


Death  Song, 
Donner,  .         .         , 
Dusk  of  the  Gods, 


Erda,       . 
Eternal  Youth,  . 


Fate, 
Flight, 


Freia, 
Fricka, 


Giant.     . 
Gibicnung, 
God's  Stress, 
Gutrune,     . 


Hagen,   • 

Hagen's  Wicked  Glee, 

Handing,        .        . 


Loge,  . 
Love, 
Love's  Greeting, 
Love's  Joy,    . 
Love  Life, 
Love's  Passion 
Love's  Peace, 
Love  Potion,  . 
Love  Song, 


Magic  Fire, 

Mime, 

Murder, 


PAGE 

.  87 
82 

.  89 
60 


57 

•    27 

79 


•    27 
12,  52 


47 


Nibelung, 20 

Nibelungs'  Hate,       ...  25 
Nibelungs'  Power,         .        .        .90 

Nibelungs'  Servitude,        .        .  10 

Rainbow,        .        .        . 
Renunciation  of  Love, 
Rhine,     .... 
Rhinedaughters, 
Rhinedaughters'    Shout    of    Tri 
umph,       .... 

Rhinegold, 

Ride  of  the  Valkyrs,      . 

Ring, II 

Rising  Hoard,         .        .        .        .23 

Shout  of  the  Valkyrs,         .         .  47 

Siegfried, 60 

Siegfried,  the  Fearless,      .        .  66 

Siegfried,  the  Hero,       .        .        .  88 

Siegfried,  the  Impetuous,          .  66 

Siegfried,  the  Protector,        .        .  85 

Siegmund, 33 

Slumber, 61 

Storm, 31 

Sympathy,      .        .  •     .        ,         .34 

Sword, 28 

Tamhelmet, 21 


Vengeance, 
Vow, 


Walhalla,    .        .        .        . 
Walsung,         .        .        , 
Walsungs'  Heroism,  . 
Walsungs'  Call  to  Victory, 
Wedding  Summons,  . 
World's  Heritage, .        . 
Wotan's  Disguise, 
Wotan's  Wandering, 
Wotan's  Wrath, 


Note. — The  scores  to  which  frequent  references  are  made  in  this  book  are  the 
Piano  Scores,  with  Words  (simplified  edition),  by  R.  Kleinmichel.  For  instance, 
page  25,  line  i,  given  as  a  reference  on  page  9,  means  that  the  musical  passage 
spoken  of  will  be  found  in  the  first  line  on  page  25  of  the  simplified  edition  of  the 
Kleinmichel  piano-vocal  score  of  "  Rhinegold. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SIXTH  EDITION. 


'T^IS  is  the  sixth  edition  of  my  "  Wagner's  Ring  of 
■*■  the  Nibelung"  in  separate  form  ;  but,  as  these  analyses 
are  also  part  of  my  two  volumes  entitled  "Wagner's  Life 
and  Works,"  the  book  may  be  said  to  have  really  reached 
its  seventh  edition  with  this  issue. 

I  attribute  this  popularity — which  is  gratifying  to  me 
chiefly  because  it  attests  the  popularity  which  Wagner's 
works  have  attained — to  the  fact  that  the  analyses  are  en- 
tirely untechnical  and  to  the  numerous  musical  examples. 
They  are  just  so  many  illustrations,  presenting  to  the  eye 
and  through  it  to  the  hearing,  what  is  described  and  analyzed 
in  the  text. 

I  trust  this  work  has  aided  the  public  in  recognizing  what, 
not  so  very  long  ago,  only  a  small  band  of  pioneers  recog- 
nized— that  Wagner  is  the  greatest  tone-master  the  world 
has  ever  seen  and  perhaps  ever  will  see. 

GusTAY  Kobb6. 

Summit,  Union  Co.,  N.  J.,  July,  1894. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  "  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  consists  of  four  music-dra- 
mas— " Rhinegold,"  the  "Valkyr,"  "Siegfried"  and  the 
"  Dusk  of  the  Gods."  The  "  books  "  of  these  were  written 
in  inverse  order.  Wagner  made  a  dramatic  sketch  of 
the  Nibelung  myth  as  early  as  the  autumn  of  1848 
and  between  then  and  the  autumn  of  1850  he  wrote 
the  "  Death  of  Siegfried."  This  subsequently  became  the 
**  Dusk  of  the  Gods."  Meanwhile  Wagner's  ideas  as  to  the 
proper  treatment  of  the  myth  seem  to  have  undergone  a 
change.  "  Siegfried's  Death  "  ended  simply  dramatically, 
Briinnhilde  leading  Siegfried  to  Valhall.  Afterwards 
Wagner  evidently  conceived  the  purpose  of  connecting  the 
final  catastrophe  of  his  Trilogy  with  the  Dusk  of  the  Gods, 
or  end  of  all  things,  in  Northern  mythology,  and  of  embody- 
ing' a  profound  truth  in  the  action  of  the  music-dramas. 
This  metaphysical  significance  of  the  work  is  believed  to  be 
sufficiently  explained  in  the  brief  synopsis  of  the  plot  of  the 
Trilogy  and  in  the  descriptive  musical  and  dramatic  analy- 
sis below. 

In  the  autumn  of  1850  when  Wagner  was  on  the  point  of 
sketching  out  the  music  of  "  Siegfried's  Death,"  he  recog- 
nized that  he  must  lead  up  to  it  with  another  drama,  and 
"  Young  Siegfried,"  afterwards  "  Siegfried,"  was  the  result. 
This  in  turn  he  found  incomplete,  and  finally  decided  to 
supplement  it  with  the  "  Valkyr"  and  "  Rhinegold."  This 
backward  7nodus  operandi  he  explained  to  Liszt  in  a  char- 
acteristic letter  dated  Albisbrunn,  November  20,  1851. 

"  Rhinegold  "  was  produced  in  Munich,  at  the  Hof  theater 


'U 


ii  introduction: 

September  22,  1869 ;  the  "  Valkyr,"  on  the  same  stage,  June 
26,  1870.  " Siegfried  "  and  the  "Dusk  of  the  Gods  "  were 
not  performed  until  1876,  when  they  were  produced  at  Bay- 

.    .  reuth. 

V  Of  the  principal  characters  in  the  "  Ring  of  the  Nibe- 
lung,"  Alberich,  the  Nibelung,  and  Wotan,  the  chief  of  the 
gods,  are  symboHc  of  greed  for  wealth  and  power.  This 
lust  leads  Alberich  to  renounce  love — the  most  sacred  of 
emotions— in  order  that  he  may  rob  the  Rhine-daughters  of 
the  Rhinegold  and  forge  from  it  the  ring  which  is  to  make 
him  all-powerful.  Wolanhy  strategy  obtains  the  ring,  but, 
instead  of  returning  it  to  the  Rhine-daughters,  he  gives  it 
to  the  giants,  Fafner  and  Fasolt  as  ransom  for  F?'eia,  the 
goddess  of  youth  and  beauty,  whom  he  had  promised  to  the 
giants  as  a  reward  for  building  Walhalla.  Alberich  has 
cursed  the  ring  and  all  into  whose  possession  it  may  come. 
I  The  giants  no  sooner  obtain  it  than  they  fall  to  quarreling 
over  it  2ind  Fafner  slays  Fasolt  and  then  retires  to  a  cave  in 
the  heart  of  a  forest  where,  in  the  form  of  a  dragon,  he  guards 
the  ring  and  the  rest  of  the  treasure  which  Wotan  wrested 
from  Alberich  and  also  gave  to  the  giants  as  ransom  for 
Freia.  This  treasure  includes  the  tarn-helmet,  a  helmet 
made  of  Rhinegold,  the  wearer  of  which  can  assume  any 
guise. 

Wotan  having  witnessed  the  slaying  of  Fasolt,  is  filled 
with  dread  lest  the  curse  of  Alberich  be  visited  upon  the 
gods.  To  defend  Valhalla  against  the  assaults  of  Al^ 
berich  and  the  host  of  Nibelungs,  he  begets  in  union  with 
Erda,  the  goddess  of  wisdom,  the  Valkyrs  (chief  among 
them  Brilnnhilde)  who  course  through  the  air  on  superb 
chargers  and  bear  the  bodies  of  departed  heroes  to  Val- 
halla, where  they  revive  and  aid  the  gods  in  warding  off  the 
attacks  of  the  Nibelungs.    But  it  is  also  necessary  that  the 


INTRODUCTION,  iii 

curse-laden  ring  should  be  wrested  from  Fafner  and  re- 
stored through  purely  unselfish  motives  to  the  Rhine- daugh- 
ters, and  the  curse  thus  lifted  from  the  race  of  the  gods. 
None  of  the  gods  can  do  this  because  the  motives  would  not 
be  entirely  unselfish.  Hence,  Wotan,  for  a  time,  casts  off 
his  divinity,  and  in  disguise  as  Walse,  begets  in  union  with 
a  human  woman  the  Walsung  twins,  Sieginund  and  Sieg- 
linde.  Siegmund  he  hopes  will  be  the  hero  who  will  slay 
Fafner  and  restore  the  ring  to  the  Rhine- daughters.  To 
nerve  him  for  this  task,  Wotan  surrounds  the  Walsungs 
with  numerous  hardships.  Sieglinde  is  forced  to  become 
the  wife  of  her  robber  Hunding,  Sz'egmund,  storm-driven, 
seeks  shelter  in  Hunding' s  hut,  where  he  and  his  sister,  re- 
cognizing one  another,  form  an  incestuous  union  and  es- 
cape. Hunding  overtakes  them  and  Wotan,  as  Siegmund 
has  been  guilty  of  a  crime  against  the  marriage  vow,  is 
obliged,  at  the  request  of  his  spouse  Fricka,  the  Juno  of 
Northern  mythology,  to  give  victory  to  Hunding.  Briinn- 
kilde,  contrary  to  Wotan's  command,  takes  pity  on  Sieg- 
mund  and  seeks  to  shield  him  against  Hunding.  For  this 
Wotan  causes  her  to  fall  into  a  profound  slumber.  The 
hero  who  will  penetrate  the  barrier  of  fire  with  which  Wo- 
tan has  surrounded  the  rock  upon  which  she  slumbers  can 
claim  her  as  his  bride. 

After  Siegmund'' s  death  Sieglinde  gives  birth  to  Sieg- 
fried, a  son  of  their  incestuous  union,  who  is  reared  by  one 
of  the  Nibelungs,  Mime,  in  the  forest  where  Fafner  guards 
the  Nibelung  treasure.  Mime  is  seeking  to  weld  the  pieces 
of  Siegmund' s  sword  (Nothung  or  Needful)  in  order  that 
Siegfried  may  slay  Fafner,  Mime  hoping  to  then  possess 
himself  of  the  treasure.  But  he  cannot  weld  the  sword.  At 
last  Siegfried,  learning  that  it  was  his  father's  weapon,welds 
the  pieces  and  slays  Fafner.    His  lips  having  come  in  con- 


iv  IN  TROD  UC  TION. 

tact  with  his  bloody  fingers,  he  is,  through  the  magic  power 
of  the  dragon's  blood,  enabled  to  understand  the  language 
of  the  birds,  and  a  little  feathery  songster  warns  him  of 
Mime's  treachery.  Siegfried sldiys  the  Nibelung  and  is  then 
guided  to  the  fiery  barrier  around  the  Valkyr  rock.  Pene- 
trating this,  he  comes  upon  Briinnhilde,  and,  enraptured 
with  her  beauty,  he  awakens  her  and  claims  her  as  his  bride, 
and  she,  the  virgin  pride  of  the  goddess,  yielding  to  the  love 
of  the  woman,  gives  herself  up  to  him.  He  plights  his  troth 
with  the  curse-laden  ring  which  he  has  wrested  from 
Fafner. 

Siegfried  goes  forth  in  quest  of  adventure.  On  the 
Rhine  lives  the  Gibichung  Gunther,  his  sister  Gutrmte  and 
their  half-brother  Hagen,  the  son  of  the  Nibelung  Alberich' 
Hagen,  knowing  of  Siegfried's  coming,  plans  his  destruction 
in  order  to  regain  the  ring  for  the  Nibelungs.  Therefore, 
craftily  concealing  Briinnhilde  s  and  Siegfried's  relations 
from  Gunther  he  incites  a  longing  in  the  latter  to  possess 
Briinnhilde  2iS  his  bride.  Carrying  out  a  plot  evolved  by  Ha- 
gen, Gutrune  on  Siegfried' s  zxv'wsX  presents  to  him  a  drink- 
ing horn  filled  with  a  love-potion.  Siegfried  drinks,  forgets 
Briinnhilde,  and  becoming  enamored  of  Gutrune  asks  her 
in  marriage  of  Gunther.  The  latter  consents  provided  Sieg- 
fried will  disguise  himself  in  the  Tarn-helmet  as  Gunther 
and  lead  Briinnhilde  to  him  as  bride.  Siegfried  readily 
agrees,  and  in  the  guise  of  Gunther  overcomes  Briinnhilde 
and  delivers  her  to  the  Gibichung.  But  Briinnhilde,  recog- 
nizing on  Siegfried  the  ring  which  her  conqueror  had 
drawn  from  her  finger,  accuses  him  of  treachery  in  deliver- 
ing her,  his  own  bride,  to  Gunther.  The  latter,  unmasked 
and  also  suspicious  o{\Siegfried,  conspires  with  Hagen  and 
Briinnhilde,  who,  knowing  naught  of  the  love-potion,  is 
roused  to  a  frenzy   of   hate  and  jealousy  by  Siegfried's 


INTRODUCTION,  r 

treachery,  to  compass  the  young  hero's  death.  Hagen 
slays  Siegfried AviTiVig  a  hunt,  and  then  in  a  quarrel  with 
Gunther  over  the  ring  also  kills  the  Gibichung.  Meanwhile 
Brunnhilde  has  learned  through  the  Rhine-daughters  of 
the  treachery  of  which  she  and  Siegfried  have  been  the 
victims.  All  her  jealous  hatred  of  Siegfried  yields  to  her 
old  love  for  him  and  a  passionate  yearning  to  join  him  in 
death.  She  draws  the  ring  from  his  finger,  ignites  the 
pyre  with  a  torch  and  then,  mounting  her  steed,  plunges 
into  the  flames.  One  of  the  Rhine-daughters  seizes 
the  curse-laden  ring.  Hagen  rushes  into  the  flooding 
Rhine  hoping  to  regain  it,  but  the  other  Rhine-daughters 
grasp  him  and  draw  him  down  into  the  depths.  Not 
only  the  flames  of  the  pyre,  but  a  glow  which  pervades 
the  whole  horizon  illumines  the  scene.  It  is  Walhalla  being 
consumed  by  fire.  Through  love — the  very  emotion  Alber- 
ich  renounced  in  order  to  gain  wealth  and  power — BrUnn- 
hilde  has  caused  the  old  order  of  things  to  pass  away  and  a 
new  and  better  era  to  dawn. 

The  sum  of  all  that  has  been  written  concerning  the  book 
of  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  is  probably  larger  than  the 
sum  of  all  that  has  been  written  concerning  the  librettos 
used  by  all  other  composers  in  their  aggregate.  What  can 
be  said  of  the  ordinary  opera  libretto  beyond  Voltaire's 
remark  that  "what  is  too  stupid  to  be  spoken  is  sung?" 
But  "The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung"  produced  vehement  dis- 
cussion. It  was  attacked  and  defended,  praised  and 
ridiculed,  extolled  and  condemned,  And  it  survived  all  the 
discussion  it  called  forth.  It  was  the  grandest  fact  in 
Wagner's  career  that  he  always  triumphed.  He  threw  his 
lance  into  the  midst  of  his  enemies  and  fought  his  way  up 
to  it.     No  matter  how  much  opposition  his  music-dramas 


// 


vt  INTRODUCTION. 

excited,  they  found  their  way  into  the  repertoire  of  the 
leading  opera  houses  of  Germany  and  have  since  their 
production  proved  the  most  popular  musico-dramatic  works 
of  the  time. 

It  was  contended  on  many  sides  that  a  book  like  "  The 
Ring  of  the  Nibelung"  could  not  be  set  to  music.  Certainly 
it  could  not  be  after  the  fashion  of  an  ordinary  opera. 
Perhaps  people  were  so  accustomed  to  the  books  of  nonsense 
which  figured  as  opera  librettos  that  they  thought  "  The 
Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  was  so  great  a  work  that  its  action 
and  climaxes  were  beyond  the  scope  of  musical  expression. 
For  such,  Wagner  has  placed  music  on  a  higher  level.  He 
has  shown  that  music  makes  a  great  drama  greater. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  Wagner's  works 
is  the  author's  absorption  of  the  traits  of  the  times  of  which 
he  wrote.  He  seems  to  have  gone  back  to  the  very  time  in 
which  the  scene  of  the  music-drama  is  laid  and  to  have 
himself  lived  through  the  events  in  his  plot.  Hans  Sachs 
could  not  have  left  a  more  faithful  portrayal  of  life  in  the 
Nuremberg  of  his  day  than  Wagner  has  given  us  in  "  Die 
Meistersinger."  In  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  he  has 
done  more — he  has  absorbed  an  imaginary  epoch  ;  lived 
over  the  days  of  gods  and  demigods  ;  infused  hfe  into 
mythological  figures.  "  The  Rhinegold,"  which  is  full  of 
varied  interest  from  its  first  note  to  its  last,  deals  entirely 
with  beings  of  mythology.  They  are  presented  true  to  life 
— if  that  expression  may  be  used  in  connection  with  beings 
that  never  lived — that  is  to  say,  they  are  so  vividly  drawn 
that  we  forget  such  beings  never  lived,  and  take  as  much 
interest  in  their  doings  and  sayings  as  if  they  were  lifelike 
reproductions  of  historical  characters.  Was  there  ever  a 
love  scene  more  thrilling  than  that  between  Siegmund  2SiA 
Sieglindef    It  represents  the  gradations  of  the  love  of  two 


INTRODUCTION,  vii 

souls  from  its  first  awakening  to  its  rapturous  greeting  in 
full  self-consciousness.  No  one  stops  to  think  during  that 
impassioned  scene  that  the  close  relationship  between  Sieg- 
mund  and  Sieglinde  would  in  these  days  have  been  a  bar  to 
their  legal  union.  For  all  we  know,  in  those  moments 
when  the  impassioned  music  of  that  scene  whirls  us  away 
in  its  resistless  current,  not  a  drop  of  related  blood  courses 
through  their  veins.  This  is  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  ser- 
mons that  have  been  preached  against  the  immorality  of 
this  scene.  Moreover,  as  it  is  by  no  means  dramatically 
necessary  that  Siegmund  and  Siegliende  should  be 
brother  and  sister,  those  who  hold  mythological  beings  to 
as  strict  a  moral  accountability  as  they  do  the  people  of  to- 
day can  imagine  that  the  lovers  were  strangers  or  second 
cousins  or  anything  else — only  let  them  stop  preaching 
sermons.  It  has  been  said  that  we  could  not  be  interested 
in  mythological  beings — that  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  " 
lacked  human  interest.  In  reply,  I  say  that  wonderful  as 
is  the  first  act  of  "  The  Valkyr,"  there  is  nothing  in  it  to 
compare  in  wild  and  lofty  beauty  with  the  last  act  of  that 
music-drama — especially  the  scene  httvi^tn  BrilnnhiidediVidi 
Wot  an. 

That  there  are  faults  of  dramatic  construction  in  '*  The 
Ring  of  the  Nibelungen  "  I  admit.  I  have  not  hesitated  to 
point  them  out.  But  there  are  faults  of  construction  in 
Shakespeare.  What  would  be  the  critical  verdict  if  "  Ham- 
let "  were  now  to  have  its  first  performance  in  the  exact 
form  in  which  Shakespeare  left  it  ?  With  all  its  faults  of 
dramatic  construction  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  is  a  re- 
markable drama,  full  of  life  and  action  and  logically  de- 
veloped, the  events  leading  up  to  superb  climaxes.  Wagner 
was  doubly  inspired.  He  was  both  a  great  dramatist  and 
a  great  musician. 


viii  INTRODUCTION, 

The  chief  faults  of  dramatic  construction  of  which  Wag- 
ner was  guilty  in  "  The  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  are  certain 
unduly  prolonged  scenes  which  are  merely  episodical — that 
is  unnecessary  to  the  development  of  the  plot  so  that  they 
delay  the  action  and  weary  the  audience  to  a  point  which 
endangers  the  success  of  the  really  sublime  portions  of  the 
score.  Such  are  the  scenes  between  Wotan  and  Fricka 
and  Wotan  and  Briinnhilde  in  the  second  act  of  the 
"  Valkyr  " ;  between  Wotan  and  Mime  in  the  first  act  of 
"  Siegfried  "  ;  between  Wotan  and  Erda  in  the  third  act 
of  "  Siegfried "  ;  andtheA^(?r«  scene  in  the  "Dusk  of  the 
Gods."  In  several  of  these  scenes  there  is  a  great  amount 
of  narrative,  the  story  of  events  with  which  we  have  become 
familiar  being  retold  in  detail  although  some  incidents 
which  connect  the  plot  of  the  particular  music-drama  with 
that  of  the  preceding  one  are  also  related.  But,  as 
narrative  on  the  stage  makes  little  impression,  and,  when  it  is 
sung  perhaps  none  at  all,  because  it  cannot  be  well  under- 
stood, it  would  seem  as  if  prefaces  to  the  libretti  could 
have  taken  the  place  of  these  narratives.  Certain  it  is  that 
these  long  drawn-out  scenes  did  more  to  retard  the  popular 
recognition  of  Wagner's  genius  than  the  activity  of  hostile 
critics  and  musicians.  Still,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
nowhere,  except  at  Bayreuth,  are  these  music-dramas  given 
as  they  should  be,  and  that  they  were  composed  for  per- 
formance under  the  ideal  circumstances  which  prevail  there. 
At  Bayreuth  the  performances  begin  in  the  afternoon  and 
there  are  long  waits  between  the  acts,  during  which  you  can 
refresh  yourself  by  a  stroll  or  by  the  more  mundane 
pleasures  of  the  table.  Then,  after  an  hour's  relaxation  of 
the  mind  and  of  the  sense  of  hearing,  you  are  ready  to  hear 
another  act.  Under  these  agreeable  conditions  the  faults 
of  dramatic  construction  are   not  fatigueing  because  one 


INTRODUCTION,  ix 

remains  sufficiently  fresh  to  enjoy  the  music  of  the 
dramatically  faulty  scenes.  Even  poor  old  Woian's  fre- 
quent outbursts  of  grief  are  not  nearly  so  tedious  as  they  are 
when  the  "  Ring  "  is  performed  elsewhere  than  at  Bayreuth. 

Wotan,  except  in  the  noble  scene  with  Briinnhilde  in 
the  finale  of  "  The  Valkyr,"  is  a  bore.  He  is  Wagner's  one 
failure — and  Wagner's  failure  was  on  as  colossal  a  scale  as 
his  successes  were.  Wotan  is  the  chief  of  the  gods,  a  race 
marked  out  by  fate  for  annihilation.  Walking  in  the 
shadow  of  impending  destruction  he  would,  one  might  sup- 
pose, bear  himself  with  a  certain  tragic  dignity.  Instead  of 
this,  however,  he  is  constantly  bemoaning  his  fate  and  hence 
strikes  one  as  contemptible  rather  than  as  tragic.  Moreover, 
even  if  his  outbursts  of  grief  were  tragic  instead  of  ridiculous 
and  wearisome,  we  could  hardly  clothe  with  god-like  dig- 
nity a  character  who  pursues  the  female  sex — divine,  semi- 
divine  and  purely  human — with  the  persistency  of  a  mytho- 
logical Mormon  and  has  reared  a  numerous  family  each 
member  of  which  would  probably  find  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  identifying  his  or  her  mother. 

But  if  Wotan  is  a  failure,  Briinnhilde  is  on  the  other 
hand  Wagner's  noblest  creation.  She  takes  upon  herself 
the  sins  of  the  gods  and  the  Nibelungs  and  by  her  expiation 
frees  the  world  from  the  curse  of  lust  for  wealth  and  power. 
She  is  a  perfect  dramatic  incarnation  of  the  profound  and 
beautiful  metaphysical  argument  upon  which  the  plot  of  the 
"  Ring  of  the  Nibelung  "  is  based. 


"^HE  Ring 


*- 


—OF  THE- 


RiBELUNG. 


THE   RHINEGOLD. 


^  N  "  The  Rhinegold  "  we  meet  with  supernatu- 
ral beings  of  German  mythology-^the  Rhine- 
daughters  Woglmde,  Wellgunde  and  Floss- 
hzlde,  whose  duty  it  is  to  guard  the  precious 
Rhinegold  ;  Wotan,  the  chief  of  the  Gods ;  his 
spouse  Fricka  ;  Loge,  the  God  of  Fire  (the 
diplomat  of  Walhalla) ;  Frez'a,  the  Goddess 
of  Youth  and  Beauty  ;  her  brothers  Donner 
and  Froh  ;  Erda,  the  all-wise  woman  ;  the  giants  Fafner 
and  Fasolt ;  Alberich  and  Mime  of  the  race  of  Nibelungs, 
cunning,  treacherous  gnomes  who  dwell  in  Nibelheim  in 
the  bowels  of  the  earth. 


8  :  ;  ,;  .'^r^^/t^i?'.;^  MU'S^C-DRAMAS. 

^He  first  scene  oi'  '"'kHinegbld  "  is  laid  on  the  Rhine, 
where  the  Rhinedaughters  guard  the  Rhinegold. 

The  work  opens  with  a  wonderfully  descriptive  pre- 
lude, which  depicts  with  marvelous  art  (marvelous  be- 
cause so  simple)  the  transition  from  the  quietude  of 
the  water-depths  to  the  wavy  life  of  the  Rhinedaugh- 
ters. The  double  basses  intone  E  flat.  Only  this  note 
is  heard  during  four  bars.  Then  three  contra  bassoons 
add  a  B  flat.  The  chord,  thus  formed,  sounds  until  the 
136th  bar.  With  the  sixteenth  bar  there  flows  over  this 
seemingly  immovable  triad,  as  the  current  of  a  river 
flows  over  its  immovable  bed,  the  Motive  of  the 
Rhine  ': 


A  horn  intones  this  Motive.  Then  one  horn  after 
another  takes  it  up  until  its  wave-like  tones  are  heard 
on  the  eight  horns.  On  the  flowing  accompaniment  of 
the  'cellos  the  Motive  is  carried  to  the  woodwind.  It 
rises  higher  and  higher,  the  other  strings  successively 
joining  in  the  accompaniment,  which  now  flows  on  in 
gentle  undulations  until  the  Motive  is  heard  on  the 
high  notes  of  the  woodwind,  while  the  violins  have 
joined  in  the  accompaniment.  When  the  theme  thus 
seems  to  have  stirred  the  waters  from  their  depth  to 
their  surface  the  curtain  rises. 

The  scene  shows  the  bed  and  flowing  waters  of  the 
Rhine,  the  light  of  day  reaching  the  depths  only  as 


••  THE  RHINEGOLDr  9 

a  greenish  twilight.    The  current  flows  on  over  rugged 
rocks  and  through  dark  chasms. 

Woglinde  is  circling  gracefully  around  the  central 
ridge  of  rock.  To  an  accompaniment  as  wavy  as  the 
waters  through  which  she  swims,  she  sings  the  much- 
discussed 

Weia !  Waga !  Woge,  du  Welle, 
Walle  zur  Wiege !  Wagala  weia ! 
Wallala,  Weiala  weia ! 

Some  of  these  words  belong  to  what  may  be  termed 
the  language  of  the  Rhinedaughters.  Looked  at  in  print 
they  seem  odd,  perhaps  even  ridiculous.  When,  how- 
ever, they  are  sung  to  the  melody  of  the  Rhinedaughters 
they  have  a  wavy  grace  which  is  simply  entrancing.  The 
Motive  to  which  they  are  sung  (Kleinmichel  piano  score 
with  words,  page  5,  line  4;  see  also  page  25,  line  i), 
I  call  the  Motive  of  the  Rhinedaughters. 


Weia  Wagal  Wo-ge,     du  Wel-le,  wal  -  le    zur  Wiegel 


Wa-ga  -  la  -  wci  -  a  I  wal  -  la  -  la,  wei  -  a  -  la     wei  -  a  1 

In  wavy  sport  the  Rhinedaughters  dart  from  cliff  to  cliff. 
Meanwhile  Alberich  has  clambered  from  the  depths  up 
to  one  of  the  cliffs,  and  watches,  while  standing  in  its 
shadow,  the  gambols  of  the  Rhinedaughters.  As  he 
speaks  to  them  there  is  a  momentary  harshness  in  the 
music,  whose  flowing  rhythm  is  broken  (page  8,  line  3). 
Characteristically  descriptive  of  his  discomfiture  is  the 
music  when,  in  futile  endeavors  to  clamber  up  to  them, 


10 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 


he  inveighs  against  the  "  slippery  slime  "  which  causes 
him  to  lose  his  foothold  (page  12,  line  2). 

When,  after  Woglinde,  Wellgunde  and  Flosshilde  have 
in  turn  gamboled  almost  within  his  reach,  only  to  dart 
away  again,  he  curses  his  own  weakness,  you  hear  the 
Motive  of  the  Nibelungs'  Servitude,  (page  24,  line 
I,  bars  3  and  4). 


3.    : 


\ 


Swimming  high  above  him  the  Rhinedaughters  incite 
him  with  gleeful  cries  to  chase  them.  Alberich  tries  to 
ascend,  but  always  slips  and  falls  back.  Finally,  beside 
himself  with  rage,  he  threatens  them  with  clenched  fist. 
The  music  accompanying  this  threat  is  in  the  typical 
rhythm  of  the  Nibelung  Motive  (see  No.  18). 

Alberich' s  gaze  is  attracted  and  held  by  a  glow  which 
suddenly  pervades  the  waves  above  him  and  increases 
until  from  the  highest  point  of  the  central  cliff  a  bright, 
golden  ray  shoots  through  the  water.  Amid  the  shim- 
mering accompaniment  of  the  violins  is  heard  on  the 
horn  the  Rhinegold  Motive  (page  31,  line  i). 


With  shouts  of  triumph  the  Rhinedaughters  swim 
around  the  rock.  Their  cry,  "  Rhinegold,"  is  a  charac- 
teristic motive,  heard  again  later  in  the  cycle,  and  the 
new  accompanying  figure  on  the  violins  may  also  be 
noted,  as  later  on  further  reference  to  it  will  be  neces- 


THE  RHINEGOLD. 


It 


sary.    The  Rhinedaughters'  Shout  of  Triumph  and 
the  accompaniment  to  it  are  as  follows : 


As  the  river  glitters  with  golden  light  the  Rhinegold 
Motive  rings  out  brilliantly  on  the  trumpet.  The  Nibe- 
lung  is  fascinated  by  the  sheen.  The  Rhinedaughters 
gossip  with  one  another,  and  Alberich  thus  learns  that 
the  light  is  that  of  the  Rhinegold,  and  that  whoever 
shapeth  a  ring  from  this  gold  will  become  invested 
with  great  power.  Then  is  heard  The  Ring  Motive 
page  41,  line  3)     in  the  woodwind  : 


\^^^^^^^^M. 


When  Flosshilde  bids  her  sisters  cease  their  prattle, 
lest  some  sinister  foe  should  overhear  them,  the  music 
which  accompanied  Alberich" s\y\x^2X  in  the  typical  Nibe- 
lung  rhythm  reappears  for  an  instant  (page  42,  line  3). 

Wellgunde  and  Woglinde  ridicule  their  sister's  anxiety, 
saying  that  no  one  would  care  to  filch  the  gold,  because 
it  would  give  power  only  to  him  who  abjures  or  re- 
nounces love.    The  darkly  prophetic  Motive  of  the 


12  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

Renunciation  of  Love  is  heard  here  (page  43,  line  i). 
It  is  sung  by  Woglinde : 


As  Alberich  reflects  on  the  words  of  the  Rhinedaugh- 
ters  (page  47,  line  3)  the  Ring  Motive  occurs  both  in  voice 
and  orchestra  in  mysterious  pianissimo  (like  an  echo  of 
AlbericJis  sinister  thoughts),  and  is  followed  by  the  Mo- 
tive of  Renunciation.  Then  is  heard  the  sharp,  decisive 
rhythm  of  the  Nibelung  Motive  (see  No.  18),  and  Albe- 
rich fiercely  springs  over  to  the  central  rock.  The 
Rhinedaughters  scream  and  dart  away  in  different  direc- 
tions. The  threatening  measures  of  the  Nibelung — this 
time  loud  and  relentless — and  Alberich  has  reached  the 
summit  of  the  highest  cliff. 

"  Hark,  ye  floods  !  Love  I  renounce  forever  !  "  he 
cries,  and  amid  the  crash  of  the  Rhinegold  Motive  he 
seizes  the  gold  and  disappears  in  the  depths.  With 
screams  of  terror  the  Rhinedaug^hters  dive  after  the  robber 
through  the  darkened  water,  guided  by  Alberich' s  shrill, 
mocking  laugh.  Waters  and  rocks  sink  ;  as  they  disap- 
pear, the  billowy  accompaniment  sinks  lower  and  lower 
in  the  orchestra.  Above  it  rises  once  more  the  Motive  of 
Renunciation  (page  53,  line  5).  The  Ring  Motive  is  heard, 
and  then  as  the  waves  change  into  nebulous  clouds  the 
billowy  accompaniment  rises  pianissimo  until,  with  a 
repetition  of  the  Ring  Motive,  the  action  passes  to  the 
second  scene.  One  crime  has  already  been  committed 
— the  theft  of  the  Rhinegold  by  Alberich.  How  that 
crime  and  the  ring  which  he  shapes  from  the  gold  in- 
spire other  crimes  is  told  in  the  course  of  the  following 
scenes  of  "Rhinegold."    Hence  the  significance  of  the 


"  THE  RHINEGOLDr  13 

Ring  Motive  as  a  connecting  link  between  the  first  and 
second  scenes. 

Scene  II. 

The  dawn  illumines  a  castle  with  glittering  turrets  on  a 
rocky  height  at  the  back.  Through  a  deep  valley  be- 
tween this  and  the  foreground  the  Rhine  flows. 

With  the  opening  of  the  second  scene  the  stately 
Walhalla  Motive  is  heard : 


8. 


4«.        ^   .   A    ji.  «:    :ft 


^^^^^ 


This  is  a  motive  of  superb  beauty.  It  greets  us  again 
and  again  in  "  Rhinegold  "  and  frequently  in  the  later 
music-dramas  of  the  cycle.  Yet,  often  as  it  occurs,  one 
hears  it  with  ever-growing  admiration.  Walhalla  is  the 
dwelling  of  gods  and  heroes  and  its  motive  is  divinely 
and  heroically  beautiful.  Though  it  is  essentially  broad 
and  stately  it  often  assumes  a  tender  mood,  like  the 
chivalric  gentleness  which  every  true  hero  feels  toward 
^voman.  Thus  it  is  at  the  opening  of  the  second  scene, 
for  here  this  motive,  which  when  played  forte  or  fortis- 
simo is  one  of  the  stateliest  of  musical  inspirations,  is 
marked  piano  and  moltodolce.  In  crescendo  and  decres- 
cendo  it  rises  and  falls,  as  rises  and  falls  with  each 
breath  the  bosom  of  the  beautiful  Fricka,  who  slumbers 
at  Wot  an' s  side. 

As  Fricka  awakens  her  eyes  fall  on  the  castle.  In  her 
surprise  she  calls  to  her  spouse.  Wotan  dreams  on, 
the  Ring  Motive,  and  later  the  Walhalla  Motive,  being 
heard  in  the  orchestra,  for  with  the  ring  Wotan  is  finally 
to  compensate  the  Giants  for  building  Walhalla.  As  he 
opens  his  eyes  and  sees  the  castle  you  hear  (page  56, 


14 


WA  gner:  s  m  usic-dra  ma  s. 


line  4)  the  "  Spear  Motive,"  which  is  a  characteristic  vari- 
ation of  the  "  Motive  of  Compact "  (No.  9).  For  Wotan 
should  enforce,  if  needful,  the  compacts  of  the  Gods 
with  his  spear. 

Wotan  sings  of  the  glory  of  Walhalla.  All  through 
his  apostrophe  resounds  the  Walhalla  Motive.  Fricka 
reminds  him  that  he  has  made  a  compact  with  the 
Giants  to  deliver  over  to  them  for  their  work  in  build- 
ing Walhalla,  Frei'a,  the  Goddess  of  Youth  and  Beauty. 
'This  introduces  on  the  'cellos  and  double  basses  the 
Motive  of  Compact. 


A  theme  more  expressive  of  the  binding  force  of  law 
it  is  impossible  to  conceive.  It  has  the  inherent  dignity 
and  power  of  the  idea  of  justice. 

Then  follows  a  little  domestic  spat  between  Wotan 
and  Fricka,  Wotan  claiming  that  Fricka  was  as  anxious 
as  he  to  have  Walhalla  built,  and  Fricka  answering  that 
she  desired  to  have  it  erected  in  order  to  persuade 
Wotan  to  lead  a  more  domestic  life.     At  Fricka  s  words, 

"Halls,  bright  and  gleaming," 

the  Fricka  Motive  is  heard  for  the  first  time  (page  6*1, 
line  i).  It  is  a  caressing  motive  of  much  grace  and 
beauty : 


10. 


It  is  also  prominent  in  Wotan' s  reply  immediately  fol- 
lowing.     When  Wotan  tells  Fricka  that  he  never  in- 


THE  RHINEGOLD, 


15 


tended  to  really  give  up  Frcia  to  the  Giants,  chromatics, 
like  little  tongues  of  fire,  appear  in  the  accompaniment 
(page  63,line  3).  They  are  suggestive  of  the  Zc_^^,  Motive, 
for  with  the  aid  of  Loge,  Wotan  hopes  to  trick  the  Giants. 
"  Then  save  her  at  once  !  "  calls  Fricka,  as  Freia  enters 
in  hasty  flight.  At  this  point  (page  64,  line  i)  is  heard 
the  first  bar  of  the  Freia  Motive  combined  with  the 
Flight  Motive,    The  Motive  of  Flight  is  as  follows : 


The  following  is  the  Freia  Motive  : 


12. 


I  give  it  here  already  in  full  for  convenient  reference. 
With  Freta's  exclamations  that  the  Giants  are  pursu- 
ing her  the  first  suggestion  of  the  Giant  Motive  appears 
(page  64,  line  3),  and  as  these  "  great,  hulking  fellows  " 
enter  the  heavy,  clumsy  Giant  Motive  is  heard  in  its 
entirety  (page  68,  line  i)  : 


FasoU  and  Fafner  have  come  to  demand  that  Wotan 
deliver  up  to  them  Freia,  according  to  his  promise  when 


16 


IF  A  GNER'  S  M  USIC-DRA  MA  S. 


they  agreed  to  build  Walhalla  for  him.  In  the  ensuing 
scene,  in  which  Woian  parleys  with  the  giants,  the  Giant 
Motive,  the  Walhalla  Motive,  the  Motive  of  the  Com- 
pact and  the  first  bar  of  the  Freia  Motive  figure  until 
FasoWs  threatening  words  (page  72,  line  i) : 

"  Peace  wane  v/hen  you  break  your  compact," 

when  there  is  heard  a  version  of  the  Motive  of  Compact 
characteristic  enough  to  be  distinguished  as  the  Motive 
OF  Compact  v/ith  the  Giants  : 

-_^-^ 

14. 


The  Walhalla,  Giant  and  Freia  motives  again  are  heard 
until  Fafner  speaks  of  the  golden  apples  which  grow  in 
Freia  s  garden  (page  74,  line  i).  These  golden  apples 
are  the  fruit  of  which  the  gods  partake  in  order  to  enjoy 
eternal  youth.  The  Motive  of  Eternal  Youth,  which 
now  appears,  is  one  of  the  loveliest  in  the  Cycle.  It 
seems  as  though  age  could  not  wither  it,  nor  custom 
stale  its  infinite  variety.  Its  first  bar  is  reminiscent  of 
the  Ring  Motive  (No.  6),  for  there  is  subtle  relation- 
ship between  the  Golden  Apples  of  Freia  and  the  Rhine- 
gold.    This  is  the  Motive  of  Eternal  Youth  : 


It  is  finely  combined  with  the  Giant  Motive  at  Faf- 
ner's  words : 

"  Let  her  forthwith  be  torn  from  them  all." 

Froh  and  Donner,  Freia' s  brothers,  enter  hastily  to 
save  their  sister.    As  Fro/i  clasps  her  in  his  arms,  while 


THE  RHINEGOLDr 


17 


Domicr  confronts  the  Giants,  the  Motive  of  Eternal 
Youth  rings  out  triumphantly  on  the  horns  and  wood- 
wind (page  75,  line  4). 

But  Freias  hope  is  short-lived.  The  Motive  of  the 
Compact  with  the  Giants,  with  its  weighty  import,  re- 
sounds as  Wotan  stretches  his  spear  between  the  hostile 
groups.  For  though  Wotafz  desires  to  keep  Freia  in 
Walhalla,  he  dare  not  offend  the  Giants.  But  at  this 
critical  moment  he  sees  his  cunning  adviser,  Loge,  ap- 
proaching. These  are  Loges  characteristic  motives: 
LoGE  Motive  : 


16. 


^^^ 


^bi^^^^^ 


^: 


4?^« 


Magic  Fire  Motive 


They  are  heard  throughout  the  ensuing  scene,  in  which 
Wotan  upbraids  Loge  for  not  having  discovered  some- 
thing which  the  Giants  would  be  willing  to  accept  as  a 


18  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 

substitute  for  Freia.  Loge  says  he  has  traveled  the 
world  over  without  finding  aught  that  would  compen- 
sate man  for  the  renunciation  of  a  lovely  woman.  At 
this  point  is  heard  the  Motive  of  Renunciation.  Then 
follows  Loges  narrative  of  his  wanderings.  With  great 
cunning  he  intends  to  tell  Wotan  of  the  theft  of  the 
Rhinegold  and  of  the  wondrous  worth  of  a  ring  shaped 
from  the  gold  in  order  to  incite  the  listening  Giants  to 
ask  for  it  as  a  compensation  for  giving  up  Freia.  Hence 
Wagner,  as  Loge  begins  his  narrative,  has  blended,  with 
a  marvelous  sense  of  musical  beauty  and  dramatic  fitness, 
two  phrases :  the  Freia  Motive  and  the  accompaniment  to 
the  Rhine  daughters'  shout  of  triumph  in  the  first  scene. 
Whoever  will  turn  to  page  85,  line  4,  last  two  bars  of  the 
vocal-piano  score,  will  find  the  Freia  Motive  in  the  treble 
and  the  somewhat  simplified  accompaniment  to  the  cry 
"  Rhinegold"  in  the  bass.  This  music  continues  until  Loge 
says  that  he  discovered  but  one  (namely,  AlbericJt)  who 
was  willing  to  renounce  love.  Then  the  Rhinegold  Mo- 
tive is  sounded  tristly  in  a  minor  key  and  immediately 
afterward  is  heard  the  Motive  of  Renunciation. 

Loge  next  tells  how  Alberich  stole  the  gold.  All  through 
this  portion  of  the  narrative  are  heard,  in  the  accom- 
paniment, reminiscences  of  the  motives  of  the  first 
scene.  It  should  be  noticed  that  when  (page  89,  line  i) 
Loge  gives  Wotan  the  message  of  the  Rhinedaughters, 
that  the  chief  of  the  gods  wrest  the  gold  from  Alberich 
and  restore  it  to  them,  the  Rhinegold  Motive  rings  out 
brilliantly  in  a  major  key  (C  major).  Loge  has  already 
excited  the  curiosity  of  the  Giants,  and  when  Fafner 
asks  him  what  power  Alberich  will  gain  through  the 
possession  of  the  gold,  he  dwells  upon  the  magical  attri- 
butes of  the  ring  shaped  from   Rhinegold.    As  Wotan 


"  THE  RHINEGOLDr  19 

ponders  over  Loges  words  the  Ring  Motive  is  heard, 
for  Wotan  is  planning  how  he  may  possess  himself  of 
the  ring.  With  true  knowledge  of  human,  and  espe- 
cially of  feminine  nature,  Wagner  makes  Fricka  ask  if 
articles  of  jewelry  could  be  made  of  the  gold.  As  Loge 
tells  her  that  the  possession  of  the  ring  will  insure 
Wotan' s  fidelity  to  her  and  that  Alberzck's  Nibelungs  are 
at  that  moment  forging  a  ring  of  the  Rhinegold,  he  sings 
the  Fricka  Motive  {Fricka  being  the  guardian  of  marriage- 
fidelity),  while,  when  he  refers  to  the  Nibelungs  (page 
92,  line  3,  last  two  bars)  there  is  heard  for  the  first  time  the 
Nibelung  Motive.  (The  Nibelung  Motive  will  be  found 
(No,  1 8)  at  the  point  when  it  assumes  its  due  promi- 
nence in  the  score,  viz.,  in  the  Nibelheim  scene.)  Wotan 
is  evidently  strongly  bent  on  wresting  the  gold  from 
Alberich  and  retaining  it  in  his  own  possession  instead  of 
restoring  it  to  the  Rhinedaughters,  for,  as  he  stands  wrapt 
in  meditation  (page  93,  line  i),  the  Rhinegold  Motive  is 
heard  in  a  minor  key,  and  as  he  asks  Loge  how  he  may 
shape  the  gold  into  a  ring  we  have  the  Ring  Motive. 
Loge  tells  Wotan  that  Alberich  has  abjured  love  and 
already  forged  the  ring.  Here  the  Motive  of  Renuncia- 
tion is  sounded  with  a  harsh  power  (page  94,  line  3), 
expressive  of  Alberich' s  tyranny,  which  we  are  soon  to 
witness. 

Loge's  diplomacy  is  beginning  to  bear  results.  Fafner 
tells  Fasolt  that  he  deems  the  possession  of  the  gold 
more  important  than  Freia.  Notice  here  (page  97,  line  2, 
last  bar  et  seq.)  how  the  Freia  motive,  so  prominent 
when  the  Giants  insisted  on  her  as  their  compensation,  is 
relegated  to  the  bass  and  how  (line  4,  last  two  bars)  the 
Rhinegold  Motive  breaks  in  upon  the  Motive  of  Eternal 
Youth    as    Fafner  and  Fasolt    again    advance  toward 


20  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

Wotan,  for  they  now  request  Wotan  to  wrest  the  gold 
from  Alberzch  and  give  it  to  them  as  ransom  for  Freia. 
I  Wotan  refuses  and  the  Giants,  having  proclaimed  that 
they  will  give  Wotan  until  evening  to  determine  upon 
his  course,  seize  Freia  and  drag  her  away.  Here  the 
music  is  highly  descriptive.  Pallor  settles  upon  the  faces 
of  the  gods ;  they  seem  to  have  grown  older.  Alas,  they 
are  already  affected  by  the  absence  of  Freia,  the  God- 
dess of  Youth,  whose  motives  are  but  palely  reflected  by 
the  orchestra,  as  Loge,  with  cunning  alarm,  explains  the 
cause  of  the  gods' distress ;  until  Wotan  proclaims  that 
he  will  go  with  Loge  to  Nibelheim. 

Loge  disappears  down  a  crevice  in  the  side  of  the 
rock.  From  it  a  sulphurous  vapor  at  once  issues.  When 
Wotan  has  followed  Loge  into  the  cleft  the  vapor  fills  the 
stage  and  conceals  the  remaining  characters.  The  va- 
pors thicken  to  a  black  cloud,  continually  rising  upward, 
until  rocky  chasms  are  seen.  These  have  an  upward 
motion,  so  that  the  stage  appears  to  be  sinking  deeper 
and  deeper.  During  this  transformation  scene  there  is 
an  orchestral  interlude.  First  is  heard  the  Loge  Motive, 
four  times  interrupted  by  the  Motive  of  Renunciation. 
Beginning  at  page  iii,  line  5,  bar  4,  the  Motive  of  Ser- 
vitude is  heard  during  four  bars.  Then,  with  a  molto 
vivace  the  orchestra  dashes  into  the  Motive  of  Flight. 
Twice  the  Ring  and  Rhinegold  motives  are  heard,  the 
latter  appearing  the  second  time  with  the  typical 
NiBELUNG  Motive  (page  112,  line  5),  expressive  of 
the  enslaved  Nibelungs  constantly  working  at  the  forge. 

18.  Eg: 

This  motive    accompanies  for    sixteen  bars,   during 


"  THE  jrhinegold:'  21 

eight  of  which  the  rhythm  is  emphasized  by  the  a^ivils 
on  the  stage,  a  broad  expansion  of  the  Flight  Motive. 
Meanwhile  from  various  distant  quarters  ruddy  gleams 
of  light  illumine  the  chasms,  and  when  the  Flight 
Motive  has  died  away,  only  the  increasing  clangor  of 
smithies  is  heard  from  all  directions.  Gradually  the 
sound  of  the  anvils  grows  fainter;  and,  as  the  Ring 
Motive  resounds  like  a  shout  of  malicious  triumph  (ex- 
pressive of  AlbericJis  malignant  joy  at  his  possession  of 
power),  there  is  seen  a  subterranean  cavern,  apparently 
of  illimitable  depth,  from  which  narrow  shafts  lead  in  all 
directions. 

Scene  III. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  scene  we  hear  again  the 
measures  heard  when  Alberich  chased  the  Rhincdaugh- 
ters.  Alberich  enters  from  a  side  cleft  dragging  after 
him  the  shrieking  Mime,  The  latter  lets  fall  a  helmet 
which  Alberich  at  once  seizes.  It  is  the  tarnhelmet, 
made  of  Rhinegold,  the  wearing  of  which  enables  the 
wearer  to  become  invisible  or  assume  any  shape.  As 
Alberich  closely  examines  the  Tarnhelmet  its  motive 
is  heard  (page  117,  line  2,  beginning  at  the  sixth  bar). 
This  is  the  Motive  of  the  Tarnhelmet  : 


19.^^ 


ittrf: 


To  test  its  power  Alberich  puts  it  on  and  changes  into  a 
column  of  vapor.  He  asks  Mime  if  he  is  visible,  and 
when  Mime  answers  in  the  negative  Alberich  cries  out 
shrilly,  "  Then  feel  me  instead,"  at  the  same  time  mak- 


33  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

ing  poor  Mime  writhe  under  the  blows  of    a  visible 
scourge. 

Alberich  then  departs — still  in  the  form  of  a  vaporous 
column — to  announce  to  the  Nibelungs  that  they  are 
henceforth  his  slavish  subjects.  Mime  cowers  down 
with  fear  and  pain.  Wotan  and  Loge  enter  from  one  of 
the  upper  shafts.  Mime  tells  them  how  Alberich  has 
become  all-powerful  through  the  ring  and  the  tarnhel- 
met  made  of  the  Rhinegold.  The  Motives  occurring  in 
Mime's  narrative  are  the  Nibelung,  Servitude  and  Ring 
Motives,  the  latter  in  the  terse,  malignantly  powerful 
form  in  which  it  occurred  just  before  the  opening  of  the 
third  scene.  Then  Alberich,  who  has  taken  off  the  Tarn- 
helmet  and  hung  it  from  his  girdle,  is  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, driving  a  crowd  of  Nibelungs  before  him  from  the 
caves  below.  They  are  laden  with  gold  and  silver,  which 
he  forces  them  to  pile  up  in  one  place  and  so  form  a 
hoard.  He  suddenly  perceives  Wotan  and  Loge.  After 
abusing  Miine  for  permitting  strangers  to  enter  Nibel- 
heim,  he  commands  the  Nibelungs  to  descend  again  into 
the  caverns  in  search  of  new  treasure  for  him,  They 
hesitate.  You  hear  the  Ring  Motive.  Alberich  draws 
the  ring  from  his  finger,  stretches  it  threateningly  to- 
ward the  Nibelungs  and  commands  them  to  obey  the 
ring's  master. 

The  Nibelungs  disperse  in  headlong  flight  and  with 
Mime  rush  back  into  the  cavernous  recesses.  Alberich 
looks  with  mistrust  upon  Wotan  and  Loge,  He  asks 
them  what  they  seek  in  Nibelheim.  Wotan  tells  him 
they  have  heard  reports  of  his  extraordinary  power  and 
have  come  to  ascertain  if  they  are  true.  After  some 
parleying  the  Nibelung  points  to  the  hoard,  saying  :  "  It 
is  the  merest  heap  compared  to  the  mountain  of  treasure 


THE  rhinegold: 


23 


to  which  it  shall  rise."  Here  appears  part  of  the  Ris- 
ing Hoard  Motive  (page  137,  line  4),  which  in  its  com- 
plete form  is  as  follows  : 


Albertch  boasts  that  the  whole  world  will  come  under 
his  sway  (you  hear  the  Ring  Motive),  that  the  gods  who 
now  laugh  and  love  in  the  enjoyment  of  youth  and 
beauty  will  become  subject  to  him  (you  hear  the  Freia 
Motive) ;  for  he  has  abjured  love  (you  hear  the  Motive  of 
Renunciation).  Hence,  even  the  gods  in  Walhalla  shall 
dread  him  (you  hear  a  variation  of  the  Walhalla  Mo- 
tive), and  he  bids  them  beware  of  the  time  when  the 
night-begotten  host  of  the  Nibelungs  shall  rise  from 
Nibelheim  into  the  realm  of  daylight  (you  hear  the 
Rhinegold  Motive  followed  by  the  Walhalla  Motive,  for 
it  is  through  the  power  gained  by  the  Rhinegold  that 
Alberich  hopes  to  possess  himself  of  Walhalla).  Loge 
cunningly  flatters  Alberich,  and  when  the  latter  tells  him 
of  the  Tarnhelmet  feigns  disbelief  of  Alberzck's  state- 
ments. Alberich,  to  prove  their  truth,  puts  on  the  hel- 
met and  transforms  himself  into  a  huge  serpent.  The 
Serpent  Motive  expresses  the  windings  and  writhings  of 
the  monster. 

The  serpent  vanishes  and  Alberich  reappears.  When 
Loge  doubts  if  Alberich  can  transform  himself  into 
something  very  small,  the  Nibelung  changes  into  a  toad. 
Now  is  Loge's  chance.  He  calls  to  Wotan  to  set  his  foot 
on  the  toad.  As  Wotan  does  so,  Loge  puts  his  hand  to  its 
head  and  seizes  the  Tarnhelm.    Alberich  is  seen  writh- 


24  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

ing  under  JVo/an's  foot.  Log-e  binds  Alberich  ;  both  seize 
him,  drag  him  to  the  shaft  from  v^rhich  they  descended 
and  disappear  ascending.  The  scene  now  changes  in  the 
reverse  direction  to  that  in  which  it  changed  when  Wo- 
tan  and  Loge  were  descending  to  Nibelheim.  The  or- 
chestra accompanies  the  change  of  scene.  The  Ring 
Motive  dies  away  from  crashing  fortissimo  to  piano,  to 
be  succeeded  by  the  dark  Motive  of  Renunciation. 
Then  is  heard  the  clangor  of  the  Nibelung  smithies,  and 
amid  it  the  Motive  of  Flight  in  its  broadly-expanded 
form.  The  Giant,  Walhalla,  Loge  and  Servitude  Mo- 
tives follow,  the  last  with  crushing  force  as  Wotan  and 
Loge  emerge  from  the  cleft,  dragging  the  pinioned 
Alberich  with  them.  His  lease  of  power  was  brief.  He 
is  again  in  a  condition  of  servitude. 

Scene  IV. 

A  pale  mist  still  veils  the  prospect  as  at  the  end  of 
the  second  scene.  Loge  and  Wotan  place  Alberich  on 
the  ground  and  Loge  dances  around  the  pinioned 
Nibelung,  mockingly  snapping  his  fingers  at  the  prisoner. 
Wotan  joins  Loge  in  his  mockery  of  Alberich.  The 
Nibelung  asks  what  he  must  give  for  his  freedom. 
"Your  hoard  and  your  glittering  gold,"  is  Wotan* s 
answer.  Alberich  assents  to  the  ransom  and  Loge  frees 
the  gnome's  right  hand,  Alberich  raises  the  ring  to  his 
lips  and  murmurs  a  secret  behest.  The  Nibelung 
Motive  is  heard,  combined  at  first  with  the  Motive  of 
the  Rising  Hoard,  then  with  the  Motive  of  Servitude 
and  later  with  both.  This  combination  of  the  three 
Motives  will  be  found  on  page  165,  line  2,  last  bar;  the 
Motive  of  Servitude  being  played  in  the  right  hand,  the 
other  two  in  the  left.  These  three  Motives  continue  prom- 


''THE  rhinegold: 


25 


inent  as  long  as  the  Nibelungs  emerge  from  the  cleft  and 
heap  up  the  hoard.  Then,  as  Alberich  stretches  out  the 
Ring  toward  them,  they  rush  in  terror  toward  the  cleft, 
into  which  they  disappear.  Alberich  now  asks  for  his 
freedom,  but  Loge  throws  the  Tarnhelmet  on  to  the 
heap.  Wot  an  further  demands  that  Alberich  also  give 
up  the  ring.  At  these  words  dismay  and  terror  are  de- 
picted on  Alberich' s  face.  Ha  had  hoped  to  save  the 
ring,  but  in  vain.  V/otan  tears  it  from  the  gnome's  finger. 
Then  Alberich,  impelled  by  hate  and  rage,  curses  the 
ring.     The  Motive  of  the  Curse  is  as  follows  : 


21. 


To  it  should  be  added  the  syncopated  measures  ex- 
pressive of  the  threatening  and  ever-active  Nibelungs' 
Hate: 


22.  F^^^^^EI^--^- 


Amid  the  heavy  thuds  of  the  Motive  of  Servi- 
tude Alberich  vanishes  in  the  cleft. 

The  mist  begins  to  rise.  It  grows  lighter.  The  Giant 
Motive  and  the  Motive  of  Eternal  Youth  are  heard,  for 
the  giants  are  approaching  with  Freia.  Donner,  Froh 
and  Fricka  hasten  to  greet  Wotan.  Fasolt  and  Fafner 
enter  with  Freia.  It  has  grown  clear,  except  that  the 
mist  still  hides  the  distant  castle.  Freia's  presence 
seems  to  have  restored  youth  to  the  gods.  While  the 
Motive  of  the  Giant  Compact  resounds,  Fasolt  asks  for 
the  ransom  for  Freia.  Wotan  points  to  the  hoard. 
With  staves  the  giants   measure   off   a    space  of  the 


26  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

height  and  breadth  of  Freia.    That  space  must  be  filled 
out  with  treasure. 

Loge  and  Froh  pile  up  the  hoard,  but  the  giants  are 
not  satisfied  even  when  the  Tarnhelnriet  has  been  added. 
They  wish  also  the  ring  to  fill  out  a  crevice.  Wotan 
turns  in  anger  away  from  them.  A  bluish  light  glim- 
mers in  the  rocky  cleft  to  the  right,  and  through  it  Erda 
rises  to  half  her  height.  She  warns  Wotan  against  re- 
taining possession  of  the  ring.  The  Motives  prominent 
during  the  action  preceding  the  appearance  of  Erda  will 
be  readily  recognized.  They  are  the  Giant  Compact 
Motive  combined  with  the  Nibelung  motive  (the  latter 
combined  with  the  Giant  Motive  and  Motive  of  the 
Hoard)  and  the  Ring  Motive,  which  breaks  in  upon  the 
action  with  tragic  force  as  Wotan  refuses  to  give  up  the 
ring  to  the  giants.  The  Erda  Motive  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  Rhine  Motive : 

^3.  E^^^^^^^^ 


T 

The  syncopated  notes  of  the  Nibelungs'  malevolence, 
so  threateningly  indicative  of  the  harm  which  Alberich 
is  plotting,  are  also  heard  in  Erdas  warning  (page  193, 
line  4).  Wotan,  heeding  her  words,  throws  the  ring 
upon  the  hoard.  The  giants  release  Freia,  who  rushes 
joyfully  toward  the  gods.  Here  the  Freia  Motive,  com- 
bined with  the  Flight  Motive,  now  no  longer  agitated  but 
joyful,  rings  out  gleefully.  Soon  these  motives  are  inter- 
rupted by  the  Giant  and  Nibelung  motives,  there  being 
added  to  these  later  the  Motive  of  the  Nibelungs*  Hate 
and  the  Ring  Motive.  Alberich's  curse  is  already  be- 
ginning its  dread  work.  The  giants  dispute  over  the 
spoils,  their  dispute  waxes  to  strife,  and  at  last  Fafner 


''THE    RHINEGOLDr 


27 


slays  Fasolt  and  snatches  the  ring  from  the  dying  giant. 
As  the  gods  gaze  horror-stricken  upon  the  scene,  the 
Curse  Motive  resounds  with  crushing  force  (page  200, 
line  3).  Loge  congratulates  Wotan  that  he  should  have 
given  up  the  curse-laden  ring.  His  words  are  accom- 
panied by  the  Motive  of  the  Nibelungs'  Hate.  Yet 
even  Frickxs  caresses,  as  she  asks  Wotan  to  lead  her 
into  Walhalla,  cannot  divert  the  god's  mind  from 
dark  thoughts,  and  the  Curse  Motive  accompanies  his 
gloomy,  curse-haunted  reflections. 

Donner  ascends  to  the  top  of  a  lofty  rock.  He  gath- 
ers the  mists  about  him  until  he  is  enveloped  by  a  black 
cloud.  He  swings  his  hammer.  There  is  a  flash  of 
lightning,  a  crash  of  thunder,  and  lo  !  the  cloud  vanishes. 
A  rainbow  bridge  spans  the  valley  to  Walhalla,  which  is 
illumined  by  the  setting  sun.  The  Donner  Motive  is 
as  follows : 


34. 


Wotan  eloquently  greets  Walhalla,  and  then,  taking 
Fricka  by  the  hand,  leads  the  procession  of  the  gods 
into  the  castle. 

The  music  of  this  scene  is  of  wondrous  eloquence  and 
beauty.  Six  harps  are  added  to  the  ordinary  orches- 
tral instruments,  and  as  the  variegated  bridge  is  seen 
their  arpeggios  shimmer  like  the  colors  of  the  rainbow 
around  the  broad,  majestic  Rainbow  Motive: 


25. 


Then  the  stately  Walhalla  Motive  resounds  as  the 
gods  gaze,  lost  in  admiration,  at  the  Walhalla.    It  gives 


28  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

way  to  the  Ring  Motive  as  Wotan  speaks  of  the  day's 
ills  ;  and  then  as  he  is  inspired  by  the  idea  of  begetting 
a  race  of  demi-gods  to  conquer  the  Nibelungs,  there  is 
heard  for  the  first  time  the  Sword  Motive  : 


:=^=p^-=l 


But  the  cunning  Z^;^^  knows  that  the  curse  must  do 
its  work, even  if  not  until  the  distant  future;  and  hence 
as  he  remains  in  the  foreground  looking  after  the  gods, 
the  Loge  and  Ring  Motives  are  heard. 

The  cries  of  the  Rhinedaughters  greet  Wotan.  They 
beg  him  to  restore  the  ring  to  them.  But  Wotan  is 
deaf  to  their  entreaties.  He  preferred  to  give  the  ring 
to  the  giants  rather  than  forfeit  Freia. 

The  Walhalla  Motive  swells  to  a  majestic  climax  and 
the  gods  enter  the  castle.  Amid  shimmering  arpeggios 
the  Rainbow  Motive  resounds.  The  gods  have  attained 
the  height  of  their  glory — but  the  Nibelung's  curse  is 
still  potent,  and  it  will  bring  v/oe  upon  all  who  have 
possessed  or  v/ill  possess  the  ring  until  it  is  restored 
to  the  Rhinedaughters.  Fasolt  was  only  the  first  victim 
of  Alberich's  curse. 


^;^^«C«^* 


1/ 


**THE    VALKYR.' 


Woian's  enjoyment  of  Walhaila  was  destined  to  be 
&hort-lived.  Filled  with  dismay  by  the  death  of  Fasolt 
in  the  combat  of  the  giants  for  the  accursed  Ring,  and 
impelled  by  a  dread  presentiment  that  the  force  of  the 
curse  would  be  visited  upon  the  gods,  ha  descended 
from  Walhaila  to  the  abode  of  the  all-wise  woman,  Erda. 
We  must  assume  that  matrimonial  obligations  were  not 
strictly  enforced  among  the  gods.  It  may  have  been 
inferred,  from  Frickas  anxiety  to  have  Walhaila  built  in 
order  to  induce  Wotan  to  lead  a  more  domestic  life,  that 
the  chief  god  was  an  old  offender  against  the  marriage 
vow,  for  though  Fricka  was  the  guardian  goddess  of 
connubial  virtue,  she  does  not  seem  to  have  been  able 
to  hold  her  spouse  in  check.  To  say  the  least,  the  chief 
god  was  very  promiscuous  in  his  attentions  to  the 
gentler  sex.  Thus  his  visit  to  Et'da  was  not  entirely 
unremunerative,  for,  while  he  could  not  obtain  from  her 
a  forecast  of  the  future  of  the  gods,  she  bore  him  nine 
daughters.  These  v/crc  the  Valkyrs,  headed  by  Brtinn- 
hilde — the  v/ild  horocwonien  of  the  air,  who  on  winged 
steeds  bore  the  dead  heroes  to  V/alhalla,  the  warrior's 
heaven.  V/ith  the  aid  of  the  Valkyrs  and  the  heroes 
they  gathered  to  Walhaila,  Wotan  hoped  to  repel  any 
assault  upon  his  castle  by  the  enemies  of  the  gods. 

But  though  the  host  of  heroes  grew  to  a  goodly  num- 


30  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS.     ^ 

ber,  the  terror  of  Alberich's  curse  still  haunted  the  chief 
of  the  gods.  He  might  have  freed  himself  from  it  had 
he  returned  the  Ring  and  Helmet  made  of  Rhinegold  to 
the  Rhinedaughters,  from  whom  Alberich  filched  it ;  but 
in  his  desire  to  persuade  the  giants  to  relinquish  Freia, 
whom  he  had  promised  to  them  as  a  reward  for  building 
Walhalla,  he,  having  wrested  the  Ring  from  Alberich, 
gave  it  to  the  giants  instead  of  returning  it  to  the  Rhine- 
daughters.  He  saw  the  giants  contending  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  ring  and  saw  Fasolt  slain — the  first  victim 
of  Alberich' s  curse.  He  knows  that  the  giant  Fafner, 
having  assumed  the  shape  of  a  huge  serpent,  now  guards 
the  Niebelung  treasure,  which  includes  the  Ring  and 
the  Tarnhelmet,  in  a  cave  in  the  heart  of  a  dense  forest. 
How  shall  the  Rhinegold  be  restored  to  the  Rhine- 
daughters  ? 

Wotan  hopes  that  this  may  be  consummated  by  a 
human  hero  who,  free  from  the  lust  for  power  which 
obtains  among  the  gods  shall,  with  a  sword  of  Wotan' s 
own  forging,  slay  Fafner,  gain  possession  of  the  Rhine- 
gold  and  restore  it  to  its  rightful  owners,  thus  righting 
Wotan' s  guilty  act  and  freeing  the  gods  from  the  curse. 
To  accomplish  this  Wotan,  in  human  guise  as  Walse, 
begets  in  wedlock  with  a  woman  the  twins  Siegmund 
and  Sieglinde.  How  the  curse  of  Alberich  is  visited  upon 
these  is  related  in  "  The  Valkyr." 

The  dramatis personcE  in  "  The  Valkyr  "  are  Briinnhilde 
and  her  eight  sister  valkyrs,  Fricka,  Sieglinde,  Siegmund ^ 
Hunding  (the  husband  of  Sieglinde^,  and  Wotan.  The  ac- 
tion begins  after  the  marriage  of  Sieglinde  to  Hunding. 
The  earlier  events  in  the  lives  of  the  two  Walsings  we 
learn  of  in  the  narratives  of  Siegmund  and  Wotan  re- 
spectively in  the  first  and  second  acts  of  "  The  Valkyn" 


THE  valkyr: 


31 


Of  course,  the  Walsings  are  in  ignorance  of  the  divinity 
of  their  father.    They  know  him  only  as  Walse. 

Act  I. 

The  introduction  to  "  The  Valkyr  "  is  very  different  in 
character  from  that  to  "  The  Rhinegold."  In  that  the 
Rhine  flowing  peacefully  toward  the  sea  and  the  inno- 
cent gambols  of  the  Rhinedaughters  were  musically 
depicted.  But  "The  Valkyr"  opens  in  storm  and  stress. 
It  is  as  though  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  first 
scene  of  the  cycle  had  vanished  from  the  earth  with 
Alberich's  abjuration  of  love,  his  theft  of  the  gold  and 
Wotan's  equally  treacherous  crime.  This  vorspiel  is  a 
masterly  representation  in  tone  of  a  storm  gathering  for 
its  last  infuriated  onslaught.  There  is  majestic  force  in 
its  climax.  The  elements  are  unloosed.  The  wind 
sweeps  through  the  forest.  Lightning  flashes  in  jagged 
streaks  across  the  black  heavens.  There  is  a  crash  of 
thunder  and  the  storm  has  spent  its  force. 

Two  leading  motives  are  employed  in  this  introduc- 
tion. They  are  the  Storm  Motive  and  the  Donner 
Motive  (No.  24).  The  Storm  Motive  (page  i,  line  i) 
is  as  follows : 


\^ 


27. 


These  themes  are  as  elementary  as  that  of  the  Fifth 
Symphony.  From  the  theme  of  that  symphony  Beet- 
hoven developed  a  work  which  by  many  is  considered 
his  grandest.  Similarly  Wagner  has  composed,  with 
the  use  of  only  the  two  motives  named,  the  most  stu- 
pendous storm  music  we  have — not  even  excepting  the 


33  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

storm  of  the  Pastorale.  I  call  the  attention  of  those 
who  still  labor  under  the  error  that  Wagner's  methods 
are  obscure  and  involved  to  the  vorspiel  to  "The 
Valkyr." 

In  the  early  portion  of  this  vorspiel  only  the  string 
instruments  are  used.  Gradually  the  instrumentation 
grows  more  powerful.  With  the  climax  we  have  a  tre- 
mendous//on  the  contra  tuba  and  two  tympani,  fol- 
lowed by  the  crash  of  the  Donner  Motive  on  the  wind 
instruments. 

The  storm  then  gradually  dies  away.  Before  it  has 
quite  passed  over,  the  curtain  rises,  revealing  the  large 
hall  of  Hunding's  dwelling.  This  hall  is  built  around 
a  huge  ash-tree,  whose  trunk  and  branches  pierce  the 
roof,  over  which  the  foliage  is  supposed  to  spread. 
There  are  walls  of  rough-hewn  boards,  here  and  there 
hung  with  large  plaited  and  woven  hangings.  In  the 
right  foreground  is  a  large,  open  hearth ;  back  of  it 
in  a  recess  is  the  larder,  separated  from  the  hall  by 
a  woven  hanging,  half  drawn.  In  the  background  is 
a  large  door.  A  few  steps  in  the  left  foreground  lead  up 
to  the  door  of  an  inner  room.  The  furniture  of  the  hall 
is  primitive  and  rude.  It  consists  chiefly  of  a  table, 
bench  and  stools  in  front  of  the  ash-tree.  Only  the 
light  of  the  fire  on  the  hearth  illumines  the  room  ; 
though  occasionally  its  fitful  gleam  is  slightly  inten- 
sified by  a  distant  flash  of  lightning  from  the  departing 
storm. 

The  door  in  the  background  is  opened  from  without. 
Siegmund,  supporting  himself  with  his  hand  on  the  bolt, 
stands  in  the  entrance.  He  seems  exhausted.  His  ap- 
pearance is  that  of  a  fugitive  who  has  reached  the  limit 
of  his  powers  of  endurance.     Seeing  no  one  in  the  hall. 


*•  THE    VALKYR."  33 

he  staggers  toward  the  hearth  and  sinks  upon  a  bearskin 
rug  before  it,  with  the  exclamation  : 

"  Whose  hearth  this  may  be, 
Here  I  must  rest  me." 

In  an  Italian  opera  we  would  probably  have  had  at 
this  point  a  very  amusing  illustration  of  the  total  disre- 
gard for  dramatic  fitness  which  characterizes  the  old- 
fashioned  opera.  Szegmund,  though  supposed  to  be 
exhausted  by  his  flight  through  the  storm,  would  have 
had  strength  enough  left  to  stand  near  the  foot-lights 
and  sing  an  aria  with  the  regulation  bravura  passages, 
and,  if  he  got  enough  applause,  to  sing  it  over  again. 
Then  only  would  he  sink  down  upon  the  rug  exhausted, 
but  whether  from  singing  or  from  his  flight  through  the 
storm  we  would  be  unable  to  say.  Wagner's  treatment 
of  this  scene  is  masterly.  As  Szegmund  stands  in  the 
entrance  we  hear  the  Siegmund  Motive  (page  5,  line  5): 


28. 


feEi^^fe3^ 


fS 


s^— J— 3^=3?=3^ 


-:iir—isr- 


This  is  a  sad,  weary  strain  on  'cellos  and  basses.  It  seems 
the  wearier  for  the  burden  of  an  accompanying  figure  on 
the  horns,  beneath  which  it  seems  to  stagger  as  Szegmund 
staggers  toward  the  hearth.  Thus  the  music  not  only 
reflects  Szegmund's  weary  mien,  but  accompanies  most 
graphically  his  weary  gait.  Perhaps  Wagner's  inten- 
tion was  more  metaphysical.  Maybe  the  burden  beneath 
which  the  Siegmund  Motive  staggers  is  the  curse  of 
Alberich.  It  is  certainly  (as  we  shall  see)  through  that 
curse  that  Szegmund's  life  has  been  one  of  storm  and 
stress. 

When  the  storm-beaten  Walsung  has  sunk  upon  the 
rug  the  Siegmund  Motive  is  followed  by  the  Storm  Mo- 


34  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

tive,  pp — and  the  storm  has  died  away.  The  door  of 
the  room  to  the  left  opens  and  Sieglinde  appears.  She 
has  heard  some  one  enter,  and  thinking  her  husband  has 
returned  has  come  into  the  hall  to  meet  him.  Seeing  a 
stranger  stretched  upon  the  bearskin  rug  she  approaches 
and  bends  compassionately  over  him. 

Her  compassionate  action  is  accompanied  by  a  new 
motive,  which  by  Wagner's  commentators  has  been  en- 
titled the  Motive  of  Compassion.  But  it  seems  to  me  to 
have  a  further  meaning  as  expressing  the  sympathy  be- 
tween two  souls,  a  tie  so  subtle  that  it  is  at  first  invisible 
even  to  those  whom  it  unites.  Siegmund  and  SiegUnde, 
it  will  be  remembered,  belong  to  the  same  race ;  and 
though  they  are  at  this  point  of  the  action  unknown  to 
one  another,  yet,  as  Szeglinde  bends  over  the  hunted, 
storm-beaten  Siegmund,  that  subtle  sympathy  causes  her 
to  regard  him  with  more  solicitude  than  would  be  awak- 
ened by  any  other  unfortunate  stranger.  Hence  I  have 
called  this  motive  the  Motive  of  Sympathy— taking 
sympathy  in  its  double  meaning  of  compassion  and 
affinity  of  feeling : 


The  beauty  of  this  brief  phrase  is  enhanced  by  its  un- 
pretentiousness.  It  wells  up  from  the  orchestra  as 
spontaneously  as  pity  mingled  with  sympathetic  sorrow 
wells  up  from  the  heart  of  a  gentle  woman.  As  it  is 
Siegmund  who  has  awakened  these  feelings  in  Sieglinde, 
the  Motive  of  Sympathy  is  heard  simultaneously  with 
the  Siegmund  Motive  (page  7,  line  4). 

Siegmund,  suddenly  raising  his  head,  ejaculates, 
"  Water,  water  !  "     Sieglinde  hastily  snatches  up  a  drink- 


"  THE    VALKYRr  85 

ing-horn  and,  having  quickly  filled  it  at  a  spring  near  the 
house,  swiftly  returns  and  hands  it  to  Siegmund.  As 
though  new  hope  were  engendered  in  Siegiitund's  breast 
by  Sie^lindes  gentle  ministration  the  Siegmund  Motive 
rises  higher  and  higher,  gathering  passion  in  its  upward 
sweep  and  then,  combined  again  with  the  Motive  of 
Sympathy,  sinks  to  an  expression  of  heartfelt  gratitude. 
This  passage  is  scored  entirely  for  strings.  Yet  no  com- 
poser, except  Wagner,  has  evoked  from  a  full  orchestra 
sounds  richer  or  more  sensuously  beautiful  (page  8, 
line  3  and  4). 

Siegmund  drinks,  and  then  hands  the  drinking-horn 
back  to  Szeghnde.  As  his  look  falls  upon  her  features 
he  regards  them  with  growing  interest.  That  strange 
presentiment  of  affinity  is  awakened  in  his  breast.  But 
in  him,  the  storm-beaten  fugitive,  the  emotion  called 
forth  by  SiegUndes  gentle  acts  is  deeper  than  sympathy 
of  feeling.  We  hear  versions  of  the  Siegmund  Motive 
and  the  Motive  of  Flight  (No.  11).  But  the  former  is  no 
longer  weary  and  despairing,  nor  the  latter  precipitate. 
It  seems  as  though  Siegmund,  having  found  a  haven  of 
rest,  were  recalling  his  life's  vicissitudes  with  that  feeling 
of  sadness 

"  Which  is  not  akin  to  pain, 
And  resembles  sorrow  only 
As  the  mist  resembles  rain." 

These  reminiscences  are  followed  by  the  Love  Mo- 
tive, one  of  the  most  tenderly  expressive  phrases  ever 
penned  (page  9,  line  3)  : 

The  melody  in  the  entire  passage  (that  is,  in  the  ver- 
sion of  the  Siegmund  and  Flight  Motives  and  in  the 


36  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

Love  Motive)  is  played  by  a  single  'cello,  and  thus  is  in- 
vested with  a  mournful  beauty  which  seems  the  musical 
expression  of  the  thought  in  the  lines  from  Longfellow 
I  have  just  quoted. 

The   version  of  the  Motive  of  Flight  preceding  the 
Love  Motive  is  as  follows  : 


4- 
A. 


^^^^^^^m 


The  Love  Motive  is  the  mainspring  of  this  act.  For 
this  act  tells  the  story  of  love  from  its  inception  to  its 
consummation.  Similarly  in  the  course  of  this  act  the 
Love  Motive  rises  by  degrees  of  intensity  from  an  ex- 
pression of  the  first  tender  presentiment  of  affection  to 
the  very  ecstasy  of  love. 

Siegimmd  asks  with  whom  he  has  found  shelter.  Sieg- 
linde  replies  that  the  house  is  Himdmg's,  and  she  his 
wife,  and  requests  Siegmund  to  await  her  husband's 
return. 

Weaponless  am  I : 
The  wounded  guest, 
He  will  surely  give  shelter, 

is  Siegmund's  reply.  With  anxious  celerity,  Sieglinde 
asks  him  to  show  her  his  wounds.  But,  refreshed  by 
the  draught  of  cool  spring  water  and  with  hope  revived 
by  her  sympathetic  presence,  he  gathers  force  and, 
raising  himself  to  a  sitting  posture,  exclaims  that  his 
wounds  are  but  slight ;  his  frame  is  still  firm,  and  had 
sword  and  shield  been  half  so  firm  he  would  not  have 
fled  from  his  foes.  His  strength  was  spent  in  flight 
through  the  storm ;  but  the  night  that  sank  on  his 
vision  has  yielded  again  to  the  sunshine  of  Sieglinde  s 
presence.    At  these  words  the  Motive  of  Sympathy  rises 


THE  valkyr: 


31 


Jike  a  sweet  hope.  Sieglinde  fills  the  drinking-horn  with 
mead  and  offers  it  to  Siegmund.  He  asks  her  to  take 
the  first  sip.  She  does  so  and  then  hands  it  to  him.  His 
eyes  rest  upon  her  while  he  drinks.  As  he  returns  the 
drinking-horn  to  her  there  are  traces  of  deep  emotion  in 
his  mien.  He  sighs  and  gloomily  bows  his  head.  The 
action  at  this  point  is  most  expressively  accompanied  by 
the  orchestra.  Specially  noteworthy  are  an  impassioned 
upward  sweep  of  the  Motive  of  Sympathy  as  Siegmund 
regards  Sieglinde  with  traces  of  deep  emotion  in  his 
mien ;  the  Motive  of  Flight  as  he  sighs,  thinking  per- 
haps that  misfortune  will  soon  part  them  ;  and  the  sad, 
weary  Siegmund  Motive  as  he  bows  his  head  (page  12, 
line  4 ;  page  13,  lines  i  and  2). 

In  a  voice  trembling  with  emotion,  Siegmund  tells  her 
that  she  has  harbored  one  whom  misfortune  follows 
whithersoever  he  wends  his  footsteps.  Lest  misfortune 
should  through  him  enter  her  dwelling  he  will  depart. 
With  firm,  determined  strides  he  has  reached  the  door, 
when  Sieglinde,  forgetting  all  in  her  growing  passion, 
calls  after  him : 

Then  tarry  here ! 
Not  bringest  thou  woe  thither 
Where  sorrow  already  reigns. 

Upon  Sieglinde,  as  one  of  the  Walsung  race,  rests  the 
curse  of  Alberich.  Her  words  are  followed  by  a  phrase 
freighted  with  woe,  the  Motive  of  the  Walsung  Race  or 
the  Walsung  Motive  (page  15,  line  i) : 


31. 


Like  the  Siegmund  Motive  it  is  intoned  by  the  'cellos 
and  basses. 
Siegmund  ^urns  and  gazes  searchingly  into  her  fea- 


38  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

tures.  Sadly,  and  as  though  shamed  by  her  outburst  of 
feeling,  she  lets  her  eyes  sink  toward  the  ground.  Si'eg- 
7nund  returns.  He  leans  against  the  hearth.  His  calm, 
steady  gaze  rests  upon  her.  She  slowly  raises  her  eyes 
to  his.  In  long  silence  and  with  deep  emotion  they  re- 
gard each  other.  In  the  musical  accompaniment  to  this 
scene  several  motives  are  very  effectively  combined.  Its 
basis  is  appropriately  formed  by  the  Walsung  Motive. 
Over  this  rises  the  Motive  of  Sympathy.  We  then  hear 
the  Walsung  and  Flight  Motives  combined ;  next  the 
Love  Motive,  and  finally  the  Siegmund  Motive. 

Sieglinde  is  the  first  to  start  from  the  reverie.  She 
hears  Hunding  leading  his  horse  to  the  stall.  The 
music  suddenly  changes  in  character.  Like  a  premo- 
nition of  Hunding' s  entrance  we  hear  the  Hunding 
Motive,  pp.  Then  as  Hunding,  armed  with  spear  and 
shield,  stands  upon  the  threshold,  this  Hunding  Mo- 
tive— as  dark,  forbidding  and  portentous  of  woe  to  the 
two  Walsungs  as  Hunding's  sombre  visage — resounds 
with  dread  power  on  the  tubas  (page  i6,  line  3)  : 


-^^^^^i^li^l 


Calmly  and  firmly  Siegmund  meets  Hunding' s  scrutiny. 
Sieglinde  tells  her  husband  that  she  found  Siegmund 
exhausted  near  the  hearth  and  refreshed  him  with  mead. 
Hunding  bids  her  prepare  the  meal.  He  does  this  with 
a  semblance  of  graciousness,  and  similarly  his  Motive 
assumes  a  semblance  of  graciousness  (page  17,  lines  4 
(last  bar)  and  5,  and  page  18,  line  i).  While  preparing 
the  meal  Sieglinde' s  glance  again  and  again  wanders 
over  to  Siegmund.    Hunding,  scanning  the  stranger's 


'•  THE    VALKYRr  39 

features,  detects  in  them  a  resemblance  to  those  of 
Sieglinde.  "  How  like  unto  her ! "  he  mutters  to  him- 
self, his  words  being  followed  by  the  Motive  of  Compact 
(No.  9) — for  Woman's  surrender  of  the  Rhinegold  to  the 
giants  in  order  to  thus  fulfil  his  compact  with  them  for 
building  Walhalla  necessitated  the  creation  of  the  Wal- 
sung  race,  through  a  scion  of  which  Wotan  hopes  to  see 
the  Rhinegold  restored  to  the  Rhinedaughters. 

The  table  is  spread.  The  three  seat  themselves. 
Htoiding  questions  Siegmtmd  as  to  his  name.  Siegmund 
gazes  thoughtfully  before  him.  Sieglinde  regards  him 
with  noticeable  interest.  Himditig,  who  has  observed 
both,  bide  Siegmund  gratify  Sieglinde' s  curiosity,  and 
she,  little  suspecting  her  husband's  thoughts,  urges 
Siegmund  to  tell  his  stoiy.  Siegmund  in  the  narrative 
which  follows  conceals  his  identity  and  that  of  his 
father,  evidently  through  fear  that  Hunding  may  be  one 
of  the  numerous  enemies  of  the  Walsungs.  He  calls  him- 
self Woeful  and  his  father  Wolf.  He  tells  how  one  day 
in  his  boyhood,  after  hunting  with  his  father,  they  re- 
turned to  find  their  dwelling  in  ashes,  his  mother's  corpse 
among  the  ruins  and  no  trace  of  his  twin  sister.  Hunted 
by  enemies,  he  and  his  father  lived  a  wild  life  in  the 
forest  until  in  one  of  the  combats  they  were  separated. 
In  vain  he  sought  for  a  trace  of  his  father.  He  found 
only  a  wild  wolf's  fur.* 

Sieg7nund  sought  to  mingle  with  men  and  women,  but 
wherever  he  went  misfortune  and   strife  followed  him. 


*  At  this  point  you  hear  the  Walhalla  Motive,  No.  8,  for  the  father  was 
none  other  than  Wotan,  known  to  his  human  descendants,  however,  only  as 
Walse.  In  Wotan' s  narrative  in  the  next  act  it  will  be  found  that  Wotan 
purposely  created  these  misfortunes  for  Siegmund  in  order  to  strengthen 
bim  for  bis  task 


40  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

His  last  combat  was  in  behalf  of  a  maiden  whose 
brothers  were  forcing  her  to  wed  a  man  she  loved  not. 
He  defended  her  till  shield  and  sword  were  in  splinters. 
Then  he  fled,  reaching  Hundzng's  house  when  almost 
dead  from  exhaustion. 

The  story  of  Siegmund  is  told  in  melodious  recitative. 
It  is  not  a  melody  in  the  old-fashioned  meaning  of  the 
term,  but  it  fairly  teems  with  melodiousness.  It  will 
have  been  observed  that  incidents  very  different  in  kind 
are  related  by  Siegmund.  It  would  be  impossible  to  treat 
this  narrative  with  sufficient  variety  of  expression  in  a 
melody.  But  in  Wagner's  melodious  recitative  the  musi- 
cal phrases  reflect  every  incident  narrated  by  Siegmund. 
For  instance,  when  Siegmund  tells  how  he  went  hunting 
with  his  father  there  is  joyous  freshness  and  abandon 
in  the  music,  which,  however,  suddenly  sinks  to  sad- 
ness as  he  narrates  how  they  returned  and  found  the 
Walsung  dv/elling  devastated  by  enemies.  We  hear  also 
the  Hunding  Motive  at  this  point,  which  thus  indicates 
that  those  who  brought  this  misfortune  upon  the  Wal- 
sungs  were  none  other  than  Hunding  and  his  kinsmen. 
As  Siegmund  teWs  how,  when  he  was  separated  from  his 
father,  he  sought  to  mingle  with  men  and  women  you 
hear  the  Love  Motive,  while  his  description  of  his  latest 
combat  is  accompanied  by  the  rhythm  of  the  Hunding 
Motive.  Those  whom  Siegmund  slew  were  Hunding' s 
kinsmen.  Thus  Sieg7nund's  dark  fate  has  driven  him  to 
seek  shelter  in  the  house  of  the  very  man  who  is  the 
arch-enemy  of  his  race  and  is  bound  by  the  laws  of  kin- 
ship to  avenge  on  Siegmund  the  death  of  kinsmen.  These 
are  some  of  the  salient  points  of  Siegmund's  narrative 
concerning  which  much  more  might  be  written.  To  me 
this  portion  of  the  score,  whether  we  consider  it  in  con- 


''THE    VALKYR:'  41 

nection  with  the  words  or  as  pure  music,  has  far  more 
value  than  other  more  popular  passages,  for  instance, 
SiegviuncVs  Love-song ;  though  for  some  years  to  come 
probably  the  mass  of  the  public  will  continue  to  regard 
the  latter  as  the  "  gem  of  the  opera." 

As  Siegmund  concludes  his  narative  the  Walsung 
Motive  is  heard.  Gazing  with  ardent  longing  toward 
Sieglinde,  he  says  : 

Now  know' St  thou,  questioning  wife, 
Why  "  Peaceful  "  is  not  my  name. 

These  words  are  sung  to  a  lovely  phrase.  Then,  as 
Siegmund  rises  and  strides  over  to  the  hearth  while 
Sieglinde,  pale  and  deeply  affected  by  his  tale,  bows  her 
head,  there  is  heard  on  the  horns,  bassoons,  violas  and 
'cellos  a  motive  expressive  of  the  heroic  fortitude  of  the 
Walsungs  in  struggling  against  their  fate.  It  is  the 
Motive  of  the  Walsungs'  Heroism  (page  32,  line  2) : 


It  is  followed  by  an  effective  variation  of  the  Walsung 
Motive,  the  whole  concluding  beautifully  with  the 
phrase  last  sung  by  Siegmund, 

Hunding's  sombre  visage  darkens  more  deeply  as  he 
rises.  His  were  the  kinsmen  of  the  woman  for  whom 
Siegmund  fought.  The  laws  of  hospitality  make  it  im- 
perative that  he  should  give  the  Walsung  shelter  for 
that  night,  but  he  bids  Sieginundh^  ready  for  combat  in 
the  morn.  He  commands  Sieglinde  to  prepare  his  night- 
draught.  She  is  seen  to  throw  spices  into  the  horn. 
As  she  is  about  to  enter  the  inner  chamber  she  turns 
her  eyes  longingly  upon  the  weaponless  Siegmund  and, 


42  WAGNER'S  MUSJC-DRAMAS. 

having  attracted  his  attention,  fixes  her  gaze  signifi- 
cantly upon  a  spot  on  the  trunk  of  the  ash-tree.  As  her 
look  falls  upon  the  tree  the  Sword  Motive  (26)  is 
heard. 

When  Hunding  has  followed  Sieglinde,  Siegimind  sinks 
down  upon  the  bearskin  near  the  hearth  and  broods 
over  his  fate.  His  gloomy  thoughts  are  accompanied 
by  the  threatening  rhythm  of  the  Hunding  Motive  and 
the  Sword  Motive  in  a  minor  key,  for  Siegmimd  is  still 
weaponless.  When  giving  vent  to  his  thoughts,  he 
exclaims : 

A  sword  my  father  did  promise  ! 

the  Motive  of  Compact  is  heard.  But  the  promise  ap- 
pears to  have  been  delusive  and  so  the  Compact  Motive 
soon  loses  itself  in  the  threatening  rhythm  of  the 
Hunding  Motive.  With  the  strength  of  desperation 
Siegmund  invokes  Walse's  aid.     He  cries : 

Waise!  Waise!  Where  is  thy  sword  ? 

The  Sword  Motive  rings  out  like  a  shout  of  triumph. 
The  embers  of  the  fire  collapse.  In  the  glare  that  for  a 
moment  falls  upon  the  ash-tree  the  hilt  of  a  sword 
whose  blade  is  buried  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree  is  discern- 
ible at  the  point  upon  which  Sieglindes  look  last  rested. 
While  the  Motive  of  the  Sword  gently  rises  and  falls, 
like  the  coming  and  going  of  a  lovely  memory,  Siegmund 
apostrophizes  the  sheen  as  the  reflection  of  Sieglinde's 
glance.  The  embers  die  out.  Night  falls  upon  the 
scene.  But  in  Siegmund' s  thoughts  the  memory  of  that 
pitying,  loving  look  glimmers  on. 

The  Motive  of  Sympathy  hastening  like  quick  foot- 
steps— and  Sieglinde  is  by  Siegmund's  side.  She  has 
given  Hunding  a  sleeping  potion.    She  will  point  out  a 


''THE    VALKYR:*  43 

weapon  to  Siegmund — a  sword.  If  he  can  wield  it  she 
will  call  him  the  greatest  hero,  for  only  the  mightiest 
can  wield  it.  The  music  quickens  with  the  subdued  ex- 
citement in  the  breasts  of  the  two  Walsungs.  You  hear 
the  Sword  Motive,  and  above  it,  on  horns,  clarinet  and 
oboe,  a  nev/  motive — that  of  the  Walsungs'  Call  to 
Victory  (page  44,  line  i) : 

for  Sz'eghnde  hopes  that  with  the  sword  the  stranger, 
who  has  awakened  so  quickly  love  in  her  breast,  will 
overcome  Hunding.  This  motive  has  a  resistless,  on- 
ward sweep.  Sieglinde,  amid  the  strains  of  the  stately 
Walhalla  Motive,  followed  by  the  Sword  Motive,  nar- 
rates the  story  of  the  sword.  While  Hunding  and  his 
kinsmen  were  feasting  in  honor  of  her  forced  marriage 
with  him,  an  aged  stranger  entered  the  hall.  The  men 
knew  him  not  and  shrank  from  his  fiery  glance.  But 
upon  her  his  look  rested  with  tender  compassion.  With 
a  mighty  thrust  he  buried  a  sword  up  to  its  hilt  in  the 
trunk  of  the  ash-tree.  Whoever  drew  it  from  its  sheath 
to  him  it  should  belong.  The  stranger  went  his  way. 
One  after  another  the  strong  men  tugged  at  the  hilt — 
but  in  vain.  Then  she  knew  who  the  aged  stranger  was 
and  for  whom  the  sword  was  destined. 

The  Sword  Motive  rings  out  like  a  joyous  shout,  and 
Sieglindes  voice  mingles  with  the  triumphant  notes  of 
the  Walsungs'  Call  to  Victory  as  she  turns  to  Siegmtmd: 

Oh,  found  I  in  thee 
The  friend  in  need  ! 

The  Motive  of  the  Walsungs'  heroism,  now  no  longer 


44 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 


full  of  tragic  import,  but  forceful  and  defiant — and  Sieg- 
mund  holds  Szeglinde  in  his  embrace.  There  is  a  rush 
of  wind.  The  woven  hangings  flap  and  fall.  As  the 
lovers  turn,  a  glorious  sight  greets  their  eyes.  The 
landscape  is  illumined  by  the  moon.  Its  silver 
sheen  flows  down  the  hills  and  quivers  along  the 
meadows  whose  grasses  tremble  in  the  breeze.  All 
nature  seems  to  be  throbbing  in  unison  with  the  hearts 
of  the  lovers.  The  voices  of  spring — the  season  when 
love  opens  like  the  buds — are  whispered  to  St'eginund  hy 
the  orchestra,  and  as  he  hears  them  he  greets  Szeglinde 
with  the  Love  Song  : 


35. 


The  Love  Motive,  impassioned,  irresistible,  sweeps 
through  the  harmonies — and  Love  and  Spring  are 
united.  The  Love  Motive  also  pulsates  through  Sieg- 
linde's  ecstatic  reply  after  she  has  given  herself  fully  up 
to  Siegmund  in  the  Flight  Motive — for  before  his  coming 
her  woes  have  fled  as  winter  flies  before  the  coming  of 
spring.    With  Siegmund' s  exclamation  : 

Oh,  wondrous  vision ! 
Rapturous  woman ! 

there  rises  from  the  orchestra  like  a  vision  of  loveliness 
the  Motive  of  Freia  (No.  12),  the  Venus  of  German  myth- 
ology.   In   its  embrace  it  folds  this   pulsating  theme. 


which  throbs  on  like  a  long  love-kiss  until  it  seem- 


"  THE    VALKYR."  45 

ingly  yields    to  the   blandishments   of    this    caressing 
phrase  : 

i,^:    U  J. 


C.  : 


This  throbbing,  pulsating,  caressing  music  is  succeeded 
by  a  moment  of  repose.  While  the  Walhalla  Motive 
is  heard  SiegUnde  gazes  search  ingly  into  Siegmund's  fea- 
tures. They  are  strangely  familiar  to  her.  The  Love 
Motive  weaves  itself  around  Siegmund's  words  as  he  also 
discovers  familiar  traces  in  SiegUnde  s  mien.  SiegUnde 
once  saw  her  face  reflected  in  the  brook — it  seems  re- 
flected in  Siegmund's  features.  She  has  heard  his  voice 
— it  was  when  she  heard  the  echo  of  her  own  voice  in 
the  forest.  His  look  has  already  gleamed  upon  her — it 
was  when  the  stranger  gazed  upon  her  before  he  thrust 
the  sword  into  the  trunk  of  the  ash-tree.*  Was  Wolf 
really  his  father — is  Woeful  really  his  name  ? 

Siegmund  proclaims  that  his  father  was  a  wolf  to  timid 
foxes.  But  he  whose  glance  gleamed  as  gleams  Sieg- 
linde's  glance  was  Wdlse.  Then,  while  the  orchestra 
fairly  seethes  with  excitement,  Sieghnde,  almost  beside 
herself,  calls  jubilantly  to  him  who  came  to  her  a  stranger 
out  of  the  storm  : 

Was  Waise  thy  father, 
And  art  thou  a  Walsung  ! 
Thrust  he  for  thee 
His  sword  in  the  tree  ! 
Then  let  me  name  thee 
As  I  love  thee— 
Siegmund,  I  call  thee  ! 

*  Notice  here  the  combination  of  Sword  and  Walsungs'  Heroism  Mo- 
tives, followed  by  a  combination  of  Sword  and  Walhalla  Motives. 


46  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

Siegrmmd  leaps  upon  the  table.  The  Motive  of  the 
Walsungs'  Heroism  rings  out  in  defiance  of  the  enemies 
of  the  race.  The  Sword  Motive— and  he  has  grasped 
the  hilt ;  the  Motive  of  Compact,  ominous  of  the  fatality 
which  hangs  over  the  Walsungs ;  the  Motive  of  Renun- 
ciation, with  its  threatening  import ;  then  the  Sword 
Motive — brilliant  like  the  glitter  of  refulgent  steel — and 
Sz'egmund  has  unsheathed  the  sword.  The  Walsungs' 
Call  to  Victory,  like  a  song  of  triumph ;  a  superb  upward 
sweep  of  the  Sword  Motive ;  the  Love  Motive,  now 
rushing  onward  in  the  very  ecstasy  of  passion,  and 
Siegmund  holds  in  his  embrace  Szeglinde — sister  and 
bride ! 

Act  II. 

The  Vor spiel:  With  an  upward  rush  of  the  Sword 
Motive,  resolved  into  9-8  time,  the  orchestra  dashes  into 
the  Flight  Motive.  The  Sword  Motive  in  this  9-8 
rhythm  closely  resembles  the  Motive  of  the  Valkyrs' 
Ride  (No.  37)  and  the  Flight  Motive  in  the  version  in 
which  it  appears  is  much  like  the  Valkyrs'  Shout  (No. 
36).  The  Ride  and  the  Shout  are  heard  in  the  course  of 
the  vorspiel,  the  former  with  tremendous  force  on 
trumpets  and  trombones  as  the  curtain  rises  upon  a  wild, 
rocky  mountain  pass,  at  the  back  of  which,  through  a 
natural  rock-formed  arch,  a  gorge  slopes  downward.  In 
the  foreground  stands  Wotan,  armed  with  spear,  shield 
and  helmet.  Before  him  is  Briinnhilde  in  the  superb 
costume  of  the  Valkyrs.  The  stormy  spirit  of  the  Vor- 
spiel pervades  the  music  of  Wotan' s  command  to  ^r«;^;^- 
hilde  that  she  bridle  her  steed  for  battle  and  spur  it  to 
the  fray  to  do  combat  for  Siegmund  against  Htmding, 


THE    VALKYR. 


47 


Briinnhilde  greets  Wotan's  command  with  the  weirdly, 
joyous  Shout  of  the  Valkyrs  : 

Hojotoho !    Heiaha-ha ! 

It  is  the  cry  of  the  wild  horsewomen  of  the  air,  cours- 
ing through  storm-clouds,  their  shields  flashing  back  the 
lightning,  their  voices  mingling  with  the  shrieks  of  the 
tempest.  Weirder,  wilder  joy  has  never  found  expres- 
sion in  music.  The  tone-colors  employed  by  Wagner 
are  so  graphic  that  one  sees  the  streaming  manes  of  the 
steeds  of  the  air  and  the  streaks  of  lightning  playing 
around  their  riders,  and  hears  the  whistling  of  the  winds. 
It  is  a  marvelous  tone-picture,  equaled  only  by  other 
creations  of  its  creator : 


The  accompanying  figure  is  based  on  the  Motive  of 
the  Ride  of  the  Valkyrs  : 


Briinnhilde  having  leapt  from  rock  to  rock,  to  the 
highest  peak  of  the  mountain,  again  faces  Wotan,  and 
with  delightful  banter  calls  to  him  that  Fricka  is  ap- 
proaching in  her  ram-drawn  chariot.    At  the  words  : 

Ha !  how  she  wields  her  golden  scourge, 
we  hear  a  version  of  the  Motive  of  Servitude  (No.  3), 
which  occurs  again  when  Fricka  has  appeared  and  de- 
scended from  her  chariot  and  advances  toward  Wotan, 
Briinnhilde  having  meanwhile  disappeared  behmd  the 
mountain  height.     Wotan,  through  his  guilt,  has  become 


48  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

the  slave  of  his  evil  conscience,  and  the  Motive  of  Servi- 
tude now  stands  for  the  remorseless  energy  with  which 
crime  pursues  its  perpetrator. 

The  ensuing  scene  between  Wotan  and  Fricka  has 
been  subjected  to  an  immense  amount  of  criticism  and 
ridicule.  Even  Wagnerian  commentators  are  somewhat 
timid  in  their  references  to  it.  Von  Wolzogen  dismisses 
it  with  a  few  words.  It  is  therefore  with  some  pride  that 
I  point  to  an  American  criticism  which  is  justly  appre- 
ciative. I  refer  to  the  letters  which  Mr.  J.  R.  G.  Hassard 
contributed  from  Bayreuth  to  the  Tribune  in  1 876.  The 
lucidity  of  Mr.  Hassard's  treatment  of  the  subject,  the 
felicity  of  his  diction,  his  thorough  comprehension  of 
Wagner's  theory  and  his  appreciation  of  its  artistic 
beauty,  make  these  letters  worthy  to  be  ranked  among 
the  most  important  contributions  to  the  musical  litera- 
ture of  the  day.  This  scene  between  Wotan  and  Fricka 
Mr.  Hassard  calls  "another  of  those  great  dramatic 
scenes,  full  of  fine  discriminations,  of  forcible  declama- 
tion, and  of  almost  illimitable  suggestiveness,  which 
alone  would  point  out  Wagner  as  the  greatest  of  writers 
for  the  musical  stage." 

The  plain  facts  concerning  this  scene  are  these :  It  is 
somewhat  long,  and  hence,  from  a  dramatic  point  of 
view,  perhaps  too  extended,  as  it  delays  the  action. 
But  if  it  may  be  partially  condemned  dramatically,  it 
must  be  entirely  and  unreservedly  praised  musically.  In- 
deed it  is  musically  so  fine  that  to  an  intelligent  listener  all 
sense  of  lengthiness  disappears.  Fricka  is  the  protector  of 
the  marriage  vow,  and  as  such  she  has  come  in  anger  to 
demand  from  Wotan  vengeance  in  behalf  of  Hunding. 
As  she  advances  hastily  toward  Wotan,  her  angry,  pas- 
sionate demeanor  is  reflected  by  the  orchestra,  and  this 


"  THE    VALKYR:'  49 

ejffective  musical  expression  oiFrickas  ire  is  often  heard 
in  the  course  of  the  scene.  When  near  Wotan  she  mod- 
erates her  pace  and  her  angry  demeanor  gives  way  to 
sullen  dignity.  This  change  is  also  graphically  depicted 
in  the  orchestra  in  a  phrase  based  on  the  fourth  bar  of 
the  Fricka  motive  (page  89,  lines  2  (last  bar)  and  3). 

Wotan  feigns  ignorance  of  the  cause  of  Fricka  s  agita- 
tion and  asks  what  it  is  that  harasses  her.  Her  reply  is 
preceded  by  the  stern  Hundlng  motive.  She  tells 
Wotan  that  she,  as  the  protectress  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
marriage  vow,  has  heard  Hunding's  voice  calling  for 
vengeance  upon  the  Walsung  twins.  Her  words,  "  His 
voice  for  vengeance  is  raised,"  are  set  to  a  phrase 
strongly  suggestive  of  Alberich's  curse.  It  seems  as 
though  the  avenging  Nibelung  were  pursuing  Wotan's 
children  and  thus  striking  a  blow  at  Wotan  himself 
through  Fricka,  The  Love  motive  breathes  through 
Wotan's  protest  that  Siegmu7td  and  Sieglinde  only  yielded 
to  the  magic  of  the  spring  night.  There  is  a  superbly 
forceful  strain  when  Wotan  exclaims  (page  91) : 

For  when  strong  spirits  are  rampant 
I  rouse  them  ever  to  strife. 

The  wrathful  phrase  expressive  of  Fricka  s  anger, 
heard  at  the  beginning  of  the  scene,  introduces  her  in- 
vective against  the  nuptial  union  of  brother  and  sister, 
which  reaches  a  stormy  climax  with  her  exclamation  : 

When  was  it  heard  of, 
That  brother  and  sister 
Were  lovers  ? 

With  the  cool  impudence  of  a  fin  de  siecle  husband, 
who  is  bandying  words  in  a  domestic  spat,  Wotan  re- 
plies : 

Now  it's  been  heard  of  ! 

Wotan     argues     that     Siegmnnd    and    Sieglinde    are 


50  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

true  lovers,  and  Fricka  should  smile  instead  of  vent- 
ing her  wrath  on  them.  The  motive  of  the  Love 
Song,  the  Love  Motive  and  the  caressing  phrase  heard 
in  the  love  scene  are  beautifully  blended  with  Wotans 
words.  In  strong  contrast  to  these  motives  is  the  music 
in  Fricka  s  outburst  of  wrath,  introduced  by  the  phrase 
reflecting  her  ire,  which  is  repeated  several  times  in  the 
course  of  this  episode.    This  is  followed  at  the  words. 

Why  mourn  I  thus  o'er  virtue  and  vows, 

by  a  phrase  which  has  a  touch  of  pathos,  for  she  is  com- 
plaining of  Wotan's  faithlessness.  When  she  upbraids 
him  for  his  lapses  with  Erda,  the  results  of  which  were 
the  Valkyrs,  you  hear  the  motive  of  the  Ride  of  the  Val- 
kyrs. The  passage  concludes  with  a  paroxysm  of  rage, 
Frzckah\d.diing  Wotan  complete  his  work  and  Iqt  the  Wal- 
sungs  in  their  triumph  trample  her  under  their  feet.  Wo- 
tan explains  to  her  why  he  begat  the  Walsung  race  and 
the  hopes  he  has  founded  upon  it.  But  Fricka  mistrusts 
him.  What  can  mortals  accomplish  that  the  gods,  who 
are  far  mightier  than  mortals,  cannot  accomplish  }  Hund- 
ing  must  be  avenged  on  Siegmund  and  Sieglinde.  Wotan 
must  withdraw  his  protection  from  Siegimmd.  Now 
appears  a  phrase  which  expresses  Wotans  impotent 
wrath — impotent  because  Fricka  brings  forward  the  un- 
answerable argument  that  if  the  Walsungs  go  unpun- 
ished by  her,  as  guardian  of  the  marriage  vow,  she,  the 
Queen  of  the  Gods,  will  be  held  up  to  the  scorn  of  man- 
kind. 

Motive  of  Wotan's  Wrath: 


etc. 


Wotan  would  fain  save  the  Walsungs.     But  Fricka  s 


''THE    VALKYRr  51 

argument  is  conclusive.  He  cannot  protect  Siegmund 
and  Sieglmde,  because  their  escape  from  punishment 
would  bring  degradation  upon  the  queen-goddess  and 
the  whole  race  of  the  gods,  and  result  in  their  imme- 
diate fall.  Wotan's  wrath  rises  at  the  thought  of  sacri- 
ficing his  beloved  children  to  the  vengeance  of  Hunding, 
but  he  is  impotent.  His  far-reaching  plans  are  brought 
to  nought.  He  sees  the  hope  of  having  the  Ring  re- 
stored to  the  Rhinedaughters  by  the  voluntary  act  of  a 
hero  of  the  Walsung  race  vanish.  The  curse  ot  Alberich 
hangs  over  him  like  a  dark,  threatening  cloud. 

Briinnhildes  joyous  shouts  are  heard  from  the  height. 
Wotan  exclaims  that  he  had  summoned  the  Valkyr  to 
do  battle  for  Siegmund.  In  broad,  stately  measures, 
Fricka  proclaims  that  her  honor  shall  be  guarded  by 
Briinnhildes  shield  and  demands  of  Wotan  an  oath  that 
in  the  coming  combat  the  Walsung  shall  fall.  Wotan 
takes  the  oath  and  throws  himself  dejectedly  down  upon 
a  rocky  seat.  Fricka  strides  toward  the  back.  She 
pauses  a  moment  with  a  gesture  of  queenly  com- 
mand before  Briinnhilde,  who  has  led  her  horse  down  the 
height  and  into  a  cave  to  the  right.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  when  in  the  beginning  of  this  scene  Fricka 
advanced  toward  Wotan  we  heard  a  phrase  expressive 
of  sullen  dignity.  The  scene  closes  with  this  phrase, 
but  now  no  longer  sullen.  It  rises  in  proud  beauty 
like  a  queenly  woman  exacting  homage.  This  is  one 
of  those  finely  artistic  touches  in  which  Wagner  is 
peerless. 

I  have  purposely  gone  somewhat  into  the  details  of 
this  scene  because  it  is  still  so  much  misunderstood. 
Yet  it  is  one  of  Wagner's  finest  conceptions,  and  as  such 
it  will  doubtless  be  universally  ranked  at  some  future 


63  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

day.  Aside  from  the  contrast  which  Fricka,  as  the 
champion  of  virtue,  affords  to  the  forbidden  revels  of 
the  spring  night — a  contrast  of  truly  dramatic  value — 
we  witness  the  pathetic  spectacle  of  a  mighty  god  vainly 
struggling  to  avert  ruin  from  his  race.  That  it  is  to  ir- 
resistible fate  and  not  merely  to  Fricka  that  Wotqn 
succumbs  is  made  clear  by  the  darkly  ominous  notes  of 
Alberich's  curse,  which  resound  as  Wotan,  wrapt  in 
gloomy  brooding,  leans  back  against  the  rocky  seat,  and 
also  when,  in  a  parox5^sm  of  despair,  he  gives  vent  to  his 
feelings,  a  passage  which  for  overpowering  intensity  of 
expression  stands  out  even  from  among  Wagner's  writ- 
ings.   The  final  words  of  this  outburst  of  grief, 

'  ■   The  saddest  I  among  all  men, 

are  set  to  this  variant  of  the  Motive  of  Renunciation ; 
the  meaning  of  this  phrase  having  been  expanded  from 
the  renunciation  of  love  by  Alberich  to  cover  the  re- 
nunciation of  happiness  which  is  forced  upon  Wotan 
by  avenging  fate : 


Briinnhilde  casts  away  shield,  spear  and  helmet,  and 
sinking  down  at  Wotan's  feet  looks  up  to  him  with  af- 
fectionate anxiety.  Here  we  see  in  the  Valkyr  the  touch 
of  tenderness,  without  which  a  truly  heroic  character  is 
never  cortiplete. 

Musically  it  is  beautifully  expressed  by  the  Love  Mo- 
tive, which,  when  Wotan,  as  if  awakening  from  a  rev- 
erie, fondly  strokes  her  hair,  goes  over  into  the  Siegmund 
Motive.     It  is  over  the  fate  of  his  beloved  Walsungs 


"  THE    VALKYRr  53 

Wotan  has  been  brooding.  Immediately  following 
Bru7inhildes  words, 

What  am  I  were  I  not  thy  will, 

is  a  wonderfully  soft  yet  rich  melody  on  four  horns.  It 
is  one  of  those  beautiful  details  in  which  Wagner's  works 
abound,  yet,  although  these  details  are  as  numerous  as 
they  are  beautiful,  they  seem  to  have  escaped  the  atten- 
tion of  a  good  many  critics.  Or  have  these  critics  made 
an  effort  not  to  perceive  them  ? 

In  Wotan  s  narrative,  which  now  follows,  the  chief  of 
the  gods  tells  Briinnhilde  of  the  events  which  have 
brought  this  sorrow  upon  him,  of  his  failure  to  restore 
the  stolen  gold  to  the  Rhinedaughters ;  of  his  dread  of 
A/bertch's  curse ;  how  she  and  her  sister  Valkyrs  were 
born  to  him  by  Erda  ;  of  the  necessity  that  a  hero  should 
without  aid  of  the  gods  gain  the  Ring  and  Tarnhelmet 
from  Fafner  and  restore  the  Rhinegold  to  the  Rhine- 
daughters  ;  how  he  begot  the  Walsungs  and  inured  them 
to  hardships  in  the  hope  that  one  of  the  race  would  free 
the  gods  from  Alberich's  curse ;  of  a  prophecy  uttered 
by  Erda,  that  the  end  of  the  gods  would  be  wrought 
if  Alberich  could  win  a  woman  as  wife  and  beget  a  son  ; 
that  Alberich  had  won  a  wife  and  an  heir  was  about 
to  be  born  to  him. 

It  will  have  been  observed  that  a  considerable  portion 
of  Wotan  s  narrative  covers  some  of  the  events  which 
were  enacted  in  Rhinegold.  Hence  a  portion  of  the 
narrative  is  unnecessary  and  therefore  undoubtedly  faulty 
from  a  purely  dramatic  standpoint.  It  may  also  be  not 
unjustly  questioned  if  in  other  portions  the  narrative 
does  not  go  into  details  beyond  the  dramatic  require- 
ments.   Both  the  scene  betw^een  Wotan  and  Fricka  and 


54  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

the  narrative  are  too  long  to  be  given  in  their  entirety  in 
a  performance  which  begins  as  late  as  eight  P.  M.  When, 
however,  Wagner's  works  are  performed  as  they  are  at 
Bayreuth,  where  the  performances  begin  at  four  in  the 
afternoon  and  there  are  long  intermissions  during  which 
the  listeners  can  saunter  about  the  grounds  surrounding 
the  theatre,  not  a  note  should  be  omitted.  There  cannot 
be  under  such  conditions  the  faintest  suggestion  of  fa- 
tigue from  an  undue  mental  strain,  even  on  the  part  of 
those  who  have  become  so  accustomed  to  the  insipidness 
of  the  old-fashioned  opera  that  they  are  appalled  at  the 
mere  thought — provided  they  retain  the  power  of  think- 
ing— of  mental  effort  in  connection  with  a  musico-dra- 
matic  work. 

Whatever  fault  may  be  found  with  Wotan's  narrative — 
or  rather  portions  ot  it — from  a  purely  dramatic  point  of 
view,  it  is  musically  most  expressive  from  its  first  accents, 
uttered  in  a  choked,  suppressed  voice,  to  its  eloquent 
climax.  The  motives  heard  will  be  recognized,  except 
one,  which  is  new.  This  is  expressive  of  the  stress  to 
which  the  gods  are  subjected  through  WotatCs  crime. 
It  is  first  heard  when  Wotan  tells  of  the  hero  who  alone 
can  regain  the  ring.  It  is  the  Motive  of  the  Gods' 
Stress  : 

.......      ^33 


Excited  by  remorse  and  despair  JVo^an  bids  farewell 
to  the  glory  of  the  gods.  Then  he  in  terrible  mockery 
blesses  the  Nibelung's  heir.  Terrified  by  this  outburst 
of  wrath  Briinnhilde  asks  what  her  duty  shall  be  in  the 
approaching  combat.  Wotan  commands  her  to  do 
Frzcka's  bidding  and  withdraw   protection  from    Steg- 


"  THE    VALKYRr  55 

mund.  In  vain  Brunnhilde  pleads  for  the  Walsungwhom 
she  knows  Wotan  loves,  and  wished  a  victor  until  Fricka 
exacted  a  promise  from  him  to  avenge  Hunding.  But 
her  pleading  is  in  vain,  Wotan  is  no  longer  the  all-pow- 
erful chief  of  the  gods — through  his  breach  of  faith  he 
has  become  the  slave  of  fate.  Hence  we  hear,  as 
Wotan  rushes  away,  driven  by  chagrin,  rage  and  despair, 
chords  heavy  with  the  crushing  force  of  fate. 

Slowly  and  sadly  Brunnhilde  bends  down  for  her 
weapons,  her  actions  being  accompanied  by  the  Valkyr 
Motive.  Bereft  of  its  stormy  impetuosity  it  is  as  trist  as 
her  thoughts.  Lost  in  sad  reflections,  which  find  beauti- 
ful expression  in  the  orchestra,  she  turns  toward  the 
background.  Suddenly  the  sadly  expressive  phrases  are 
interrupted  by  the  Motive  of  Flight.  Looking  down 
into  the  valley  the  Valkyr  perceives  Szeg7nund 2in6.  Sieg- 
linde  approaching  in  hasty  flight.  She  then  disappears 
in  the  cave.  With  magnificent  crescendo  the  Motive  of 
Flight  reaches  its  climax  and  the  two  Walsungs  are  seen 
through  the  natural  arch.  Sieglinde  is  hastening  in  ad- 
vance of  Szegmund.  Seeking  to  restrain  her  flight,  he 
clasps  her  tenderly.  She  stares  wildly  before  her.  Her 
terror  of  Hundmg's  pursuit  has  unsettled  her  reason. 
Sieg7nund  speaks  to  her  in  gentle  tones.  Like  a  remi- 
niscence of  happier  moments  there  is  heard  the  wooing, 
caressing  phrase  of  the  love  scene  in  the  first  act. 
Szegh'nde  gazes  with  growing  rapture  into  Siegtmmd's 
eyes  and  throws  her  arms  around  his  neck.  A  fiercely 
impassioned  phrase  accompanies  her  impetuous  action. 
Then  as  her  mien  grows  mournful  v/e  hear  the  sadly  re- 
flective version  of  the  Motive  of  Flight  which  preceded 
the  Love  Motive  in  the  first  act.  "  Away !  Away ! " 
she  shrieks,  suddenly  starting  up  from  her  reverie. 


56  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

There  is  a  dramatic  change  in  the  music  which  wildly 
follows  her  terrified  ejaculations.  There  is  noble  calm- 
ness and  determination  in  Siegjnund's  assuring  words  to 
her.  They  are  introduced  by  the  Motive  of  the  Wal- 
sung's  Fortitude — that  eloquent  phrase,  expressive  of 
the  fortitude  with  which  the  race  has  borne  the  struggle 
with  adverse  fate.  Here  Siegmund  proposes  to  try  the 
steel  of  his  sword  with  Hunding.  Then  are  heard  in  the 
distance  the  ominous  notes  of  Hundmg's  horn,  summon- 
ing his  kinsmen  to  the  pursuit  of  his  wife  and  her  lover. 
Sieglinde  starts  up  in  despair.  Does  not  Siegmund  hear 
the  avenger's  call,  bidding  the  sleuth-hounds  join  him  in 
the  hunt  for  human  prey ,''  An  agonizing  shriek  and 
Sieglinde  grows  suddenly  rigid  and  stares  vacantly  be- 
fore her,  as  if  demented. 

Eight  chords  of  terrific  force  mark  the  climax  of  this 
scene. 

In  the  insanity  of  her  terror  she  believes  that  Siegmund 
is  about  to  desert  her,  and  with  a  wild  cry  of  despair  she 
throws  herself  upon  his  breast.  A  moment  later  she 
hears  the  distant  notes  of  Htmding's  horns,  and  starts 
up  again  in  terror.  She  now  believes  that  Siegmund  h2L.s 
deserted  her.  Her  agonized  ejaculations,  her  heart- 
rending grief — these  find  wonderfully  vivid  expression. 
With  a  furious  crescendo  the  climax  of  the  scene  is 
reached,  and  Sieglinde  sinks  fainting  into  Sieg7nund's 
arms. 

Without  releasing  his  hold  upon  her,  Siegmund  lets 
himself  down  upon  a  rocky  seat,  so  that  when  he 
assumes  a  sitting  posture  her  head  rests  on  his  lap. 
Silently  he  gazes  upon  her,  and  then,  while  the  Love 
Motive  whispers  of  memories  of  bliss,  he  presses  a  kigs 
upon  her  brow. 


THE  valkyr: 


57 


The  Motive  of  Fate — so  full  of  solemn  import— is 
now  heard  : 


40.^ 


:«=: 


Briinnhilde,  leading  her  horse  by  the  bridle,  appears 
in  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and  advances  slowly  and 
solemnly  to  the  front ;  then  pauses  and  gazes  upon 
Siegjnund.  While  her  earnest  look  rests  upon  him, 
there  is  heard  the  Motive  of  the  Death-Song,  a  tristly 
prophetic  strain : 


Briinnhilde  advances  and  then,  pausing  again,  leans 
with  one  hand  upon  her  charger's  neck,  and  grasping 
shield  and  spear  with  the  other,  gazes  upon  Siegmund. 
Then  there  rises  from  the  orchestra,  in  strains  of  rich, 
soft,  alluring  beauty,  the  Walhalla  Motive.  The  Fate, 
Death-Song  and  Walhalla  Motives  recur,  and  Siegmund, 
raising  his  eyes  and  meeting  ^rw^Wi^//*^?;?'^  look,  questions 
her  and  receives  her  answers.  The  episode  is  so  fraught 
with  solemnity  that  the  shadow  of  death  seems  to  have 
fallen  upon  the  scene.  The  solemn  beauty  of  the  music 
impresses  itself  the  more  upon  the  listener  because  of  the 
agitated,  agonized  scene  which  preceded  it.  The  allur- 
ing pleasures  of  Walhalla  are  depicted  by  the  Walhalla 
Motive,  beautifully  blended  with  the  Motive  of  the 
Valkyrs'  Ride,  as  Briinnhilde  announces  that  many 
warriors  will  greet  Siegmund' s  coming;  by  the  Walhalla 
Motive  alone  when  she  tells  him  that  he  will  meet  his 


58  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

father  in  Walhalla ;  by  the  Freia  Motive,  borne  airily  upon 
the  buoyant  Motive  of  the  Valkyrs'  Ride,  as  she  promises 
him  that  beauteous  wish-maidens  will  wait  upon  him  in 
the  warriors'  heaven.  But  these  allurements  are  nought 
to  him.  "  Shall  Szegmund thtre.  embrace  Szeglinde}"  he 
asks;  and  when  Briinnhilde  answers  in  the  negative  he 
spurns  the  delights  she  has  held  out  to  him.  Here  he 
will  stand  and  meet  Hundzng.  Brunnhzlde  toWs  him  that 
the  sword  upon  which  he  relies  will  be  shivered.  He 
draws  it  to  take  Szeglinde  s  life  and  so  pierce  the  fruit 
of  their  love.  Moved  to  admiration  by  his  heroic  love, 
Briinnhilde,  in  a  jubilant  outburst,  as  though  a  sorrow 
had  been  lifted  from  her  heart,  proclaims  that  she  will 
give  victory  to  Siegmund. 

When  she  has  disappeared  the  scene  gradually  dark- 
ens. Heavy  storm-clouds  veil  the  crags  and  hide  the 
peak  from  view.  Siegmund  tenderly  soliloquizes  over 
Sieglinde,  and  then  kissing  her  gently  upon  the  fore- 
head, disappears  among  the  cloads  to  meet  Hunding. 
Sieglinde  gradually  regains  her  senses.  The  mountain  is 
now  veiled  in  black  thunder-clouds.  Hunding  s  voice  is 
heard  summoning  Siegmujtd  to  combat.  She  staggers 
toward  the  peak.  It  is  suddenly  illumined  by  lightning. 
In  the  lurid  light  the  combatants  and  Brihtnhilde  hov- 
ering above  Siegmund  are  seen.  As  Siegmimd  aims  a 
deadly  stroke  at  Hundzng  a  reddish  glow  diffuses  itself 
through  the  clouds.  In  it  Wotan  appears.  He  inter- 
poses his  spear.  As  the  sword  strikes  ft,  Siegmund' s 
weapon  is  shattered  and  Hunding  thrusts  his  spear  into 
the  Walsung's  breast.  Sieglinde,  with  a  wild  shriek, 
falls  to  the  ground.  Briimihilde  rushes  down  to  her,  lifts 
her  upon  her  steed  and  urges  the  charger  down  the  de- 
file.   With  a  gesture  of  angry  contempt    Wota7i  fells 


"  THE    VALKYRr  69 

Hunding,  and  then,  with  a  threat  to  visit  upon  Briinn- 
hilde  dire  punishment  for  her  revolt  against  his  will,  he 
disappears  amid  lightning  and  thunder.  It  is  impossible 
in  words  to  do  justice  to  the  savage  beauty  of  this  clos- 
ing scene.  The  music  is  of  the  most  dramatic  charac- 
ter. The  warring  elements  seem  to  add  to  the  terror  of 
this  battle  among  the  clouds.  Amid  these  dark  scenes 
Alderich's  second  victim  finds  his  death. 


Act  III. 

The  third  act  opens  with  the  famous  ride  of  the 
Valkyrs,  a  number  so  familiar  that  detailed  reference  to 
it  is  scarcely  necessary.  The  wild  maidens  of  Walhalla 
coursing  upon  winged  steeds  through  storm-clouds, 
their  weapons  flashing  in  the  gleam  of  lightning,  their 
weird  laughter  mingling  with^the  crash  of  thunder  as 
they  bear  slain  warriors  to  the  hero's  heaven — such  is 
the  episode  Wagner  has  depicted  with  marvelous  art. 
The  climax  of  barbaric  joy  is  reached  when  the  voices  of 
six  of  the  sisters  unite  in  the  shout,  Hojotoho  !  Heiha ! 
When  eight  of  the  Valkyrs  have  gathered  upon  the  rocky 
summit  of  the  mountain,  which  is  their  trysting- 
place,  they  see  Briinnhilde  approaching. 

The  Motive  of  the  Gods'  Stress  is  the  chief  theme 
heard  in  the  ensuing  scene  when  Briinnhilde  tells  of  her 
disobedience  to  Wotan  and  begs  the  Valkyrs  aid  her  to 
shield  Sieglinde. 

The  latter,  who  has  been  lost  in  gloomy  brooding, 
starts  at  her  rescuer's  supplication  and  in  strains  replete 
with  mournful  beauty  begs  that  she  may  be  left  to  her 
fate  and  follow  Siegviund  in  death.  The  glorious 
prophecy  of  Briinnhilde,  in  which  she  now  foretells  the 


60 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC  DRAMAS. 


birth  of  Siegfried  to  Sieglinde,  is  based  upon  the  Sieg- 
fried Motive. 


42. 


_-^:i>_.f:_^^^£^ 


h^- 


: I itiz 


zz^zz 


■:i?:li2^-k 


^g 


Sieglinde  in  joyous  frenzy  blesses  Briinnhilde  and 
hastens  to  find  safety  in  a  dense  forest  to  the  eastward, 
the  same  forest  in  which  Fafner,  in  the  form  of  a  ser- 
pent, guards  the  Rhinegoid  treasures. 

Wotan,  in  hot  pursuit  of  Briinnhilde,  reaches  the 
mountain  summit.  In  vain  her  sisters  entreat  him  to 
spare  her.  He  harshly  threatens  them  unless  they  cease 
their  entreaties,  and  with  wild  cries  of  fear  they  hastily 
depart.  In  the  ensuing  scene  between  Wotan  and 
Briinnhilde,  in  which  the  latter  seeks  to  justify  her 
action,  is  heard  one  of  the  most  beautiful  themes  of  the 
cycle. 

It  is  the  Motive  of  Brunnhilde's  Pleading,  which 
finds  its  loveliest  expression  when  she  addresses  Wotan 
in  the  passage  beginning : 

Thou,  who  this  love  within  my  breast  inspired. 


In  the  scene  there  are  many  passages  of  rare  beauty 
and  many  climaxes  of  great  dramatic  power.  The  prin- 
cipal motives  employed  therein  the  listener  will  readily 


"  THE    VALKYRr  61 

recognize,  so  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  give  in  notation 
the  Slumber  Motive: 


44. 


:^fe=g==ig^ 


etc. 


This  great  scene  between  Wotan  and  Briinnhilde 
is  introduced  by  an  orchestral  passa^T^e.  The  Valkyr  lies 
in  penitence  at  her  father's  feet.  In  the  expressive  or- 
chestral measures  the  Motive  of  Wotan's  Wrath  mingles 
with  that  of  Briinnhilde's  Pleading.  The  motives  thus 
form  a  prelude  to  the  scene  in  which  the  Valkyr  seeks 
to  appease  her  father's  anger,  not  through  a  specious 
plea,  but  by  laying  bare  the  promptings  of  a  noble 
heart,  which  forced  her,  against  the  chief  god's  com- 
mand, to  intervene  for  Siegmund.  The  Motive  of  Briinn- 
hilde's Pleading  is  heard  in  its  simplest  form  at  Briinn- 
hilde* s  words : 

Was  it  so  shameful  what  I  have  done, 

and  it  may  be  noticed  that  as  she  proceeds  the  Motive 
of  Wotan's  Wrath,  heard  in  the  accompaniment,  grows 
less  stern  until  with  her  plea, 

Soften  thy  wrath, 

it  assumes  a  tone  of  regretful  sorrow. 

Wotan  s  feelings  toward  Briinnhilde  have  softened  for 
the  time  from  anger  to  grief  that  he  must  mete  out  pun- 
ishment for  her  disobedience.  In  his  reply  excitement 
subsides  to  gloom.  It  would  be  difficult  to  pomt  to 
other  music  more  touchingly  expressive  of  deep  con- 
trition than  the  phrase  in  which  Briinnhilde  pleads  that 
Wotan  himself  taught  her  to  love  Siegmtmd.    It  is  here 


63  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

that  the  Motive  of  Briinnhilde's  Pleading  assumes  the 
form  in  the  notation  given  above.  Then  we  hear  from 
Wotan  that  he  had  abandoned  Siegmund  to  his  fate,  be- 
cause he  had  lost  hope  in  the  cause  of  the  gods  and 
wished  to  end  his  woe  in  the  wreck  of  the  world.  The 
weird  terror  of  the  Curse  Motive  hangs  over  this  out- 
burst of  despair.  In  broad  and  beautiful  strains  Wotan 
then  depicts  Briinnhilde  blissfully  yielding  to  her  emo- 
tions when  she  intervened  for  Siegmund. 

At  last  Briinnhilde  seeks,  with  the  prophecy  of  Sieg- 
fried, to  move  Wotan  from  his  purpose,  which  is  to 
punish  her  by  causing  her  to  fall  into  a  deep  sleep  and 
thus  become  the  prey  of  man.  The  motive  of  her  plead- 
ing, reaching  a  magnificent  climax,  passes  over  to  the 
stately  Siegfried  Motive  as  she  prays  Wotan  to  surround 
her  sleeping  form  with  horrors  which  only  a  true  hero 
will  dare  strive  to  overcome.  Let  him  conjure  up  fire 
'round  about  her !  Wotan  raises  her  to  her  feet  and 
gazes,  overcome  with  deep  emotion,  into  her  eyes.  After 
a  majestic  orchestral  passage  there  begins  Wotatts  fare- 
well to  Briinnhilde,  which  in  all  musico-dramatic  num- 
bers for  bass  voice  has  no  peer.  Such  tender,  mourn- 
ful beauty  has  never  found  expression  in  music — and 
this,  whether  we  regard  the  vocal  part  or  the  orchestral 
accompaniment  in  which  the  Slumber  Motive  quoted 
above  is  prominent.  Wotan  gently  leads  Briinnhilde  to 
a  table  rock,  upon  which  she  sinks.  He  closes  her  hel- 
met and  covers  her  with  her  shield.  Then,  pointing  his 
spear  toward  a  huge  rock,  he  invokes  Loge.  Tongues  of 
fire  leap  up  from  crevices  in  the  rocks.  Flickering 
flames  break  out  on  all  sides.  The  forest  glows  with 
fire.  The  magic  conflagration — wildly  fluttering  flames 
— surrounds  Wotan  and  Briinnhilde,    He  gazes  fondly 


''THE    VALKYR."  63 

upon  her  form  and  then  vanishes  among  the  flames. 
The  Slumber  Motive,  the  Magic  Fire  Motive  and  the 
Siegfried  Motive  combine  to  place  the  music  of  this 
scene  with  the  most  brilliant  and  beautiful  portion  of 
our  heritage  from  the  master-musician.  Toward  the  close 
of  this  glorious  finale  we  hear  again  the  ominous  mut- 
tering of  the  Motive  of  Fate.  Briinnhilde  may  be  saved 
from  ignominy,  Siegfried  may  be  born  to  Sieglinde — but 
the  crushing  weight  of  the  hand  of  fate  rests  upon 
the  race  of  the  gods. 


— '"5'»*^^^^^^^3<-r- 


-SIEGFRIED.' 


The  Nibelungs  were  not  present  in  the  dramatic  ac- 
tion of  "  The  Valkyr,"  though  the  sinister  influence  of 
Alberich  shaped  the  tragedy  of  Siegmund^s  death.  In 
"  Siegfried  "  several  characters  of  "  The  Rhinegold," 
who  do  not  take  part  in  "  The  Valkyr,"  reappear.  These 
are  the  Nibelungs  Alberich  and  Mime ;  the  giant  Fafner, 
who  in  the  guise  of  a  serpent  guards  the  ring,  the  tarn- 
helmet  and  the  Nibelung  hoard  in  a  cavern,  and  Erda. 
Siegfried  has  been  born  of  Steglinde,  who  died  in  giving 
birth  to  him.  This  scion  of  the  Walsung  race  has  been 
reared  by  Mime,  who  is  plotting  to  obtain  possession  of 
Fafners  treasures,  and  hopes  to  be  aided  in  his  designs 
by  the  lusty  youth.  Wotan,  disguised  as  a  wanderer,  is 
watching  the  course  of  events,  again  hopeful  that  a  hero 
of  the  Walsung  race  will  free  the  gods  from  Alberich' s 
curse.  Surrounded  by  magic  fire,  Brilnnhilde  still  lies 
in  deep  slumber  on  the  rock  of  the  Valkyrs. 

The  vorspiel  of  "  Siegfried  "  is  expressive  of  Mime's 
planning  and  plotting.  It  begins  with  music  of  a  mys- 
terious, brooding  character.  Mingling  with  this  is  the 
Motive  of  the  Hoard  (No.  20),  familiar  from  "The 
Rhinegold."  Then  is  heard  the  Nibelung  Motive 
(No.  18),  and  later,  joined  with  it,  the  Motive  of  the 
Nibelung's  Servitude  (No.  3).  After  reaching  a  forceful 
climax  the  Motive  of  the  Nibelung  passes  over  to 
the  Motive  of  the  Ring  (No.  6),  which  rises  from  pianis- 
simo to  a  crash  of  tremendous  power.    The  ring  is  to 


''  SIEGFRIEDr  65 

be  the  prize  of  all  Mimes  plotting,  when  Siegfried,  with 
a  sword  of  Mimes  forging,  shall  have  slain  Fafner, 
The  felicitous  use  of  the  Sword  Motive  toward  the  close 
of  the  vorspiel  will  be  readily  recognized,  as  well  as  the 
aptness  of  the  Nibelung  and  Servitude  Motives  as  ex- 
pressive of  Mime's  slavish  labors,  and  gaining  further 
point  when  joined  by  the  Dragon  or  Serpent  Motive. 

The  three  motives  last  named  are  prominent  in  the 
opening  scene,  which  shows  Mime  forging  a  sword  at  a 
natural  forge  formed  in  a  rocky  cave.  In  a  soliloquy  he 
discloses  the  purpose  of  his  labors  and  laments  that 
Siegfried s\)\m^v^  every  sword  which  has  been  forged  for 
him.  Could  he  {Mime)  but  unite  the  pieces  of  Sieg- 
mmtd's  sword  !  At  this  thought  the  Sword  Motive  rings 
out  brilliantly,  and  is  jubilantly  repeated,  accompanied 
by  a  variant  of  the  Walhalla  Motive.  For  if  the  pieces 
of  the  sword  were  welded  together,  and  Siegfried 
were  with  it  to  slay  Fafner,  Mime  could  surrepti- 
tiously obtain  possession  of  the  ring,  slay  Siegfried, 
rule  over  the  gods  in  Walhalla  and  circumvent  Al- 
bericJis  plans  for  regaining  the  hoard.  This  last  aspect 
of  Mimes  plan  is  musically  expressed  by  the  mocking 
phrase  heard  when  in  "  The  Rhinegold  "  Wotan  and 
Loge  made  sport  over  the  pinioned  Alberich.  This 
passage  will  be  found  on  pages  8  and  9  of  the  Klein- 
michel  piano-score  with  words,  beginning  at  bar  16  of  the 
former  and  ending  at  3  of  the  latter.  The  nine  bars  are 
an  admirable  example  of  the  wealth  of  meaning  in  Wag- 
ner's music-drama  scores,  a  meaning  perfectly  intel- 
ligible to  anyone  who  approaches  the  subject  in  a  se- 
rious, studious  mood. 

Mime  is  still  at  work  when  Siegfried  enters,  clad 
in  a  wild  forest  garb.     Over  it  a  silver  horn  is  slung 


66 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 


by  a  chain.  The  sturdy  youth  has  captured  a  bear.  He 
leads  it  by  a  bast  rope,  with  which  he  gives  it  full  play, 
so  that  it  can  make  a  dash  at  Mime.  As  the  latter  flees 
terrified  behind  the  forge,  Siegfried  gives  vent  to  his 
high  spirits  in  shouts  of  laughter.  Musically  his  buoyant 
nature  is  expressed  by  a  theme  inspired  by  the  fresh, 
joyful  spirit  of  a  wild,  woodland  life.  It  may  be  called, 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  Siegfried  Motive,  the  MOTIVE 
OF  Siegfried  the  Fearless. 


«.^^fe^ 


l!^3rr->^; 


It  pervades  with  its  joyous  impetuosity  the  ensuing 
scene,  in  which  Siegfried  has  his  sport  with  Mime,  until 
tiring  of  it,  he  loosens  the  rope  from  the  bear's  neck 
and  drives  the  animal  back  into  the  forest.  In  a  pretty, 
graceful  phrase  Siegfried  tells  how  he  blew  his  horn, 
hoping  it  would  be  answered  by  a  pleasanter  companion 
than  Mime.  Then  he  examines  the  sword  which  Mime 
has  been  forging.  The  Siegfried  Motive  resounds  as  he 
inveighs  against  the  weapon's  weakness,  until,  as  he 
shivers  the  sword  on  the  anvil,  the  orchestra  with  a 
rush  takes  up  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Impetu- 
ous. 


This  is  a  theme  full  of  youthful  snap  and  dash.    It 
alternates  effectively  with  a  contraction  of  the  Nibelung 


SIEGFRIED. 


67 


Smithy  Motive,  while  Siegfried  ^LngrWy  scolds  Mime  and 
the  latter  protests.  Finally  Mi?ne  tells  Siegfried  how  he 
tenderly  reared  him  from  infancy.  The  music  here  is 
as  simple  and  pretty  as  a  folk-song,  for  Mime's  reminis- 
cences of  Siegfried's  infancy  are  set  to  a  charming 
melody,  as  though  Mime  were  recalling  to  Siegfried's 
memory  a  cradle  song  of  those  days.  But  Siegfried 
grows  impatient.  If  Mime  tended  him  so  kindly,  why 
should  Mime  be  so  repulsive  to  him ;  and  yet  why 
should  he,  in  spite  of  x'T/^V;//^  repulsive ness,  always  return 
to  the  cave  }  The  dwarf  explains  that  he  is  to  Siegfried 
what  the  father  is  to  the  fledgling.  This  leads  to  a  beauti- 
ful lyric  episode.  Siegfried  says  that  he  saw  the  birds 
mating,  the  deer  pairing,  the  she-wolf  nursing  her  cubs. 
Whom  shall  he  call  Mother?  Who  is  Mime'swiie  ?  This 
episode  is  pervaded  by  a  lovely,  tender  motive— the  Mo- 
tive OF  Love-Life: 


47 


Mime  endeavors  to  persuade  Siegfried  that  he  is  his 
father  and  mother  in  one.     But  Siegfried  has  noticed 


68  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

that  the  young  of  birds  and  deer  and  wolves  look  like 
the  parents.  He  has  seen  his  features  reflected  in  the 
brook  and  knows  he  does  not  resemble  the  hideous 
Mime.  The  notes  of  the  Love-Life  Motive  pervade  like 
woodland  strains  the  musical  accompaniment  of  this 
episode,  in  which,  when  Siegfried  speaks  of  seeing  his 
own  likeness,  we  also  hear  the  Siegfried  Motive.  The 
scene  which  follows  is  full  of  mournful  beauty.  Mime, 
forced  by  Siegfried  to  speak  the  truth,  tells  of  Sieglinde's 
death  while  giving  birth  to  Siegfried.  Throughout  this 
scene  we  find  reminiscences  of  the  first  act  of  "  The 
Valkyr,"  the  Walsung  Motive,  Motive  of  Sympathy  and 
Love  Motive.  Finally,  when  Mime  produces  as  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  his  words  the  two  pieces  of  Siegmund's 
sword,  the  Sword  Motive  rings  out  brilliantly.  Siegfried 
exclaims  that  Miine  must  weld  the  pieces  into  a  trusty 
weapon.  Here  (page  44,  line  i)  the  Motive  of  Siegfried 
the  Fearless  assumes  the  form  in  which  it  is  quoted 
on  page  dd.  The  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Impetuous 
breaks  in  upon  it  and  the  Sword  Motive  throws  its  lustre 
over  the  music.  Then  follows  Siegfried's  Wander  Song,  so 
full  of  joyous  abandon.  Once  the  sword  welded,  he  will 
leave  the  hated  Mime  forever.  As  the  fish  darts  through 
the  water,  as  the  bird  flies  so  free,  he  will  flee  from  the 
repulsive  dwarf.  With  joyous  exclamations  he  runs  from 
the  cave  into  the  forest. 

In  the  scenes  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  the  frank, 
boisterous  nature  of  Siegfried  is  charmingly  portrayed. 
His  buoyant  vivacity  finds  capital  expression  in  the 
Motives  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless,  Siegfried  the  Impetu- 
ous and  his  Wander  Song,  while  the  vein  of  tender- 
ness in  his  character  seems  to  run  through  the  Love-Life 
Motive.    His  harsh  treatment  of  Mime  is  not  brutal ;  for 


''SIEGFRIEDS  69 

Siegfried  frankly  avows  his  loathing  of  the  dwarf,  and 
we  feel,  knowing  Mimes  plotting  against]  the  young 
Walsung,  that  Siegfried's  hatred  is  the  spontaneous 
aversion  of  a  frank  nature  for  an  insidious  one. 

After  Siegfried  has  disappeared  in  the  forest,  there  is 
a  gloomy  soliloquy  for  Mime,  interrupted  by  the  en- 
trance of  Wot  an,  disguised  as  a  wanderer.  The  ensuing 
scene  is  one  of  those  lapses  from  dramatic  effectiveness 
which  we  find  in  Wagner,  and  which  surprise  us  so  much, 
because  Wagner  was  really  an  inspired  dramatist,  his 
works  being  constructed  on  fine  dramatic  lines,  the  action 
worked  up  to  fine  climaxes  and  the  characters  drawn  in 
bold,  broad  strokes.  But  occasionally  he  has  committed 
the  error  against  the  laws  of  dramatic  construction  of 
unduly  prolonging  a  scene  and  thus  retarding  the  dra- 
matic action. 

The  scene  between  the  Wanderer  and  Mime  covers 
twenty-seven  pages  in  the  Kleinmichel  piano-score  with 
words,  yet  it  advances  us  only  one  step  in  the  dramatic 
action.  As  the  Wanderer  enters.  Mime  is  in  despair  be- 
cause he  cannot  weld  the  pieces  of  Siegmund's  sword. 
When  the  Wanderer  departs,  he  has  prophesied  that  only 
he  who  does  not  know  what  fear  is  can  weld  the  frag- 
ments, and  that  through  this  fearless  hero  Mime  shall 
lose  his  life.  This  prophecy  is  reached  through  a  some- 
what curious  process,  which  must  be  unintelligible  to 
anyone  who  has  not  made  a  study  of  the  libretto.  The 
Wanderer,  seating  himself,  wagers  his  head  that  he  can 
correctly  answer  any  three  questions  which  Mime  may 
put  to  him.  Mime  then  asks  :  What  is  the  race  born 
in  the  earth's  deep  bowels  }  The  Wanderer  answers : 
The  Nibelungs.  Mime's  second  question  is  :  What  race 
dwells  on  tbe  earth's  back?     The    Wanderer  replies; 


70  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 

The  race  of  the  giants.  Mime  finally  asks  :  What  race 
dwells  on  cloudy  heights?  The  Wanderer  answers: 
The  race  of  the  gods.  The  Wanderer,  having  thus 
answered  correctly  Mime's  three  questions,  now  puts 
three  questions  to  Mime:  "What  is  that  noble  race 
which  Wot  an  ruthlessly  dealt  with,  and  yet  which  he 
deemeth  most  dear  ?  "  Mime  answers  correctly :  "  The 
Walsungs."  Then  the  Wanderer  asks :  "  What  sword  must 
Siegfried Xhtn  strike  with,  dealing  to  Fafner  death?" 
Mime  answers  correctly:  "With  Siegjnunas  sword." 
"  Who,"  asks  the  Wanderer,  "  can  weld  its  fragments  ?  " 
Mime  is  terrified,  for  he  cannot  answer.  Then  Wotan 
utters  the  prophecy  of  the  fearless  hero.  Whoever  will 
read  over  this  scene  will  observe  that  in  Wotan's  an- 
swers the  story  of  "  The  Rhinegold  "  is  partially  re- 
told, and  that  in  Mime's  answers  we  have  a  rehear- 
sal of  "The  Valkyr."  Of  course  the  narrative  rep- 
etitions of  the  plots  of  preceding  music  -  dramas 
are  undramatic.  But  I  have  an  idea  that  Wagner, 
conjecturing  that  in  many  opera  -  houses  his  te- 
tralogy would  not  be  given  as  a  whole,  and  that  in  some 
only  one  or  two  of  the  four  music-dramas  constituting  it 
would  be  played,  purposely  introduced  these  narrative 
repetitions  in  order  to  familiarize  the  audience  with  what 
preceded  the  particular  music-drama. 

But  if  the  scene  is  dramatically  defective,  it  is  musi- 
cally most  eloquent.  It  is  introduced  by  two  motives, 
representing  Wotan  as  the  Wanderer,  The  mysterious 
chords  of  the  former  seem  characteristic  of  Wotan's 
Disguise. 


"  Siegfried:'  71 

The  latter,  with  its  plodding,  heavily-tramping  move- 
ment, is  the  Motive  of  Wotan's  Wandering. 


49. 


The  third  new  motive  found  in  this  scene  is  charac- 
teristically expressive  of  the  Cringing  Mime. 


50.  ^  _    _      _     ^ 

Several  familiar  motives  from  "  The  Rhinegold  "  and 
"The  Valkyr"  are  heard  here.  The  Motive  of  Com- 
pact (No.  9),  so  powerfully  expressive  of  the  binding 
force  of  law,  the  Nibelung  (No.  i8).  Giants'  (No.  13) 
and  Walhalla  (No.  8)  motives  from  "  The  Rhinegold," 
and  the  Walsungs'  Heroism  motives  from  the  first  act 
of  "  The  Valkyr,"  are  among  these. 

When  the  Wanderer  has  vanished  in  the  forest  Mime 
sinks  back  on  his  stool  in  despair.  Staring  after  Wotan 
into  the  sunlit  forest,  the  shimmering  rays  flitting  over 
the  soft  green  mosses  with  every  movement  of  the  branch- 
es and  each  tremor  of  the  leaves  seem  to  him  like  flickering 
flames  and  treacherous  will-o'-the-wisps.  We  hear  the 
Loge  Motive  {Loge  being  the  god  of  fire)  familiar  from 
"The  Rhinegold  "  and  the  finale  of  "The  Valkyr."  At 
last  Mime  rises  to  his  feet  in  terror.  He  seems  to  see 
Fafner  in  his  serpent's  guise  appoaching  to  devour  him, 
and  in  a  paroxysm  of  fear  he  falls  with  a  shriek  behind 
the  anvil.  Just  then  Siegfried  bursts  out  of  the  thicket, 
and  with  the  fresh,  buoyant  Wander-song  and  the  Mo- 
tive   of    S;*»^fried    the    Fearless,    the    weird    mystery 


72  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 

which  hung  over  the  former  scene  is  dispelled.  Sz'eg-- 
fried  looks  about  him  for  Mime  until  he  sees  the  dwarf 
lying  behind  the  anvil. 

Laughingly  the  young  Walsung  asks  the  dwarf  if  he 
has  thus  been  welding  the  sword.  "  The  sword  }  The 
sword  }  "  repeats  Mime,  confusedly,  as  he  advances,  and 
his  mind  wanders  back  to  Wotans  prophecy  of  the  fear- 
less hero.  Regaining  his  senses,  he  tells  Siegfried  there 
is  one  thing  he  has  yet  to  learn,  namely,  to  be  afraid  ; 
that  his  mother  charged  him  {Mime)  to  teach  fear  to  him 
{Siegfried).  At  this  point  there  is  heard  a  combination  of 
the  Walsung  Motive  and  the  Nibelung  Motive  in  its  con- 
tracted form  as  it  previously  occurs  in  this  act.  Mifne 
asks  Siegfried  if  he  has  never  felt  his  heart  beating  when 
in  the  gloaming  he  heard  strange  sounds  and  saw  weirdly 
glimmering  lights  in  the  forest.  Siegfried  replies  that 
he  never  has.  He  knows  not  what  fear  is.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary before  he  goes  forth  in  quest  of  adventure  to  learn 
what  fear  is  he  would  like  to  be  taught.  But  how  can 
Mime  teach  him  ? 

The  Magic  Fire  Motive  and  Briinnhilde's  Slumber 
Motive,  familiar  from  Wotan's  Farewell,  and  the  Magic 
Fire  scene  in  the  third  act  of  "  The  Valkyr  "  are  heard 
here,  the  former  depicting  the  weirdly  glimmering  lights 
with  which  Mime  has  sought  to  infuse  dread  into  Sieg- 
fried's breast,  the  latter  prophesying  that,  penetrating 
fearlessly  the  fiery  circle,  Siegfried  will  reach  Briinn- 
hilde.  Then  Mime  tells  Siegfried  of  Fafner,  thinking 
thus  to  strike  terror  into  the  young  Walsung's  breast. 
But  far  from  it !  Siegfried  is  incited  by  Mime's  words 
to  meet  Fafner  in  combat.  Has  Mime  welded  the  frag- 
ments of  Siegmund's  sword,  asks  Siegfried.  The  dwarf 
confesses  his  impotency.    Siegfried  sqizqs  the  fragments. 


"  SIEGFRIED."  73 

He  will  forge  his  own  sword.  Here  begins  the  great 
scene  of  the  forging  of  the  sword.  Like  a  shout  of 
victory  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  rings  out 
and  the  orchestra  fairly  glows  as  Siegfried  heaps  a  great 
mass  of  coal  on  the  forge-hearth,  and,  fanning  the  heat, 
begins  to  file  away  at  the  fragments  of  the  sword. 

.The  roar  of  the  fire,  the  sudden  intensity  of  the 
fierce  white  heat  to  which  the  young  Walsung  fans 
the  glow — these  we  would  respectively  hear  and  see 
were  the  music  given  without  scenery  or  action,  so 
graphic  is  Wagner's  score.  The  Sword  Motive  leaps 
like  a  brilliant  tongue  of  fire  over  the  heavy  thuds  of  a 
forceful  variant  of  the  Motive  of  Compact,  till  brightly 
gleaming  runs  add  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  score,  which 
reflects  all  the  quickening,  quivering  effulgence  of  the 
scene.  How  the  music  flows  like  a  fiery  flood  and  how 
it  hisses  as  Siegfried  pours  the  molten  contents  of  the 
crucible  into  a  mold  and  then  plunges  the  latter  into 
water !  The  glowing  steel  lies  on  the  anvil  and  Sieg- 
fried swings  the  hammer.  With  every  stroke  his  joyous 
excitement  is  intensified.  At  last  the  work  is  done.  He 
brandishes  the  sword  and  with  one  stroke  cleaves  the  anvil 
from  top  to  bottom.  With  the  crash  of  the  Sword  Mo- 
tive, united  with  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless, 
the  orchestra  dashes  into  a  furious  prestissimo,  and 
Siegfried,  shouting  with  glee,  holds  his  sword  aloft. 

Act  H. 
The  second  act  opens  with  a  darkly  portentous  vor- 
spiel.  On  the  very  threshold  of  it  we  meet  Fafner  in  his 
motive,  which  is  so  clearly  based  on  the  Giant 
Motive  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  quoting  it. 
Through  themes  which  are  familiar  from  earlier  por- 


74  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 

tions  of  the  work,  the  vorspiel  rises  to  a  crashing  fortis- 
simo. The  curtain  lifts  on  a  thick  forest.  At  the  back 
is  the  entrance  to  Fafners  cave,  the  lower  part  of  which 
is  hidden  by  rising  ground  in  the  middle  of  the  stage, 
which  slopes  down  toward  the  back.  In  the  darkness 
the  outlines  of  a  figure  are  dimly  discerned.  It  is  the 
Nibelung  Alberich,  haunting  the  domain  which  hides 
the  treasures  of  which  he  was  despoiled.  The  Motive  of 
the  Nibelung's  Malevolence  accompanies  his  malicious 
utterances.  From  the  forest  comes  a  gust  of  wind.  A 
bluish  light  gleams  from  the  same  direction.  Wotatt, 
still  in  the  guise  of  a  wanderer,  enters. 

The  ensuing  scene  between  Alberich  and  the  Wanderer 
is,  from  a  dramatic  point  of  view,  episodical.  For  this 
and  the  further  reason  that  the  reader  will  readily 
recognize  the  motives  occurring  in  it,  detailed  con- 
sideration of  it  is  unnecessary.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
the  fine  self-poise  of  Wotan  and  the  maliciously  restless 
character  of  Alberich  are  superbly  contrasted.  When 
Wotan  has  departed  the  Nibelung  slips  into  a  rocky 
crevice,  where  he  remained  hidden  when  Siegfried  and 
Mime  enter.  Mime  endeavors  to  awaken  dread  in 
Siegfried's  heart  by  describing  Fafner's  terrible  form 
and  powers.  But  Siegfried's  courage  is  not  weakened. 
On  the  contrary,  with  heroic  impetuosity,  he  asks  to  be 
at  once  confronted  with  Fafner,  Mime,  well  knowing 
that  Fafner  will  soon  awaken  and  issue  from  his  cave 
to  meet  Siegfried  in  mortal  combat,  lingers  on  in  the 
hope  that  both  may  fall,  until  the  young  Walsung  drives 
him  away. 

Now  begms  the  most  beautiful  lyric  episode  ever 
conceived.  Siegfried  reclines  under  a  linden  tree,  and 
looks  up  through  the  branchf»s.    The  rustling  of  the 


"  SIEGFRIED r  75 

trees  is  heard.  Over  the  tremulous  whispers  of 
the  orchestra — known  from  concert  programs  as  the 
Waldweben  (forest-weaving) — rises  a  lovely  variant 
of  the  Walsung  Motive.  Siegfried  is  asking  himself  how 
his  mother  may  have  looked,  and  this  variant  of  the 
theme  which  was  first  heard  in  "  The  Valkyr,"  when  Sieg- 
littde  told  Siegmund  that  her  home  was  the  home  of 
woe,  rises  like  a  memory  of  her  image.  Serenely  the 
sweet  strains  of  the  Love-Life  Motive  soothe  his  sad 
thoughts.  The  graceful  outlines  of  the  Freia  Motive 
rise  for  a  moment,  and  then  Siegfried,  once  more  en- 
tranced by  forest  sounds,  listens  intently.  Birds'  voices 
greet  him.  A  little  feathery  songster,  whose  notes 
mingle  with  the  rustling  leaves  of  the  linden  tree,  es- 
pecially charms  him. 

The  forest  voices — the  humming  of  insects,  the  piping 
of  the  birds,  the  amorous  quiver  of  the  branches — 
quicken  his  half-defined  aspirations.  Can  the  little 
singer  explain  his  longing?  He  listens,  but  cannot 
catch  the  meaning  of  the  song.  Perhaps,  if  he  can  imi- 
tate it,  he  may  understand  it.  Springing  to  a  stream 
hard  by,  he  cuts  a  reed  with  his  sword,  and  quickly 
fashions  a  pipe  from  it.  He  blows  on  it,  but  it  sounds 
shrill.  He  listens  again  to  the  bird.  He  may  not  be  able 
to  imitate  its  song  on  the  reed,  but  on  his  silver  horn  he 
can  wind  a  woodland  tune.  Putting  the  horn  to  his 
lips  he  makes  the  forest  ring  with  its  notes.* 

The  notes  of  the  horn  have  awakened  Fafner,  who 
now  crawls  toward  Siegfried.  Perhaps  the  less  said 
about  the  combat  between  Siegfried  and  Fafner  the  bet- 
ter.   This  scene,  which  seems  very  spirited  in  the  libretto, 

*  The  Motives  are  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  and  the  Sieg- 
fried Motive. 


76  WA  GNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMA  S. 

is  ridiculous  on  the  stage.  To  make  it  effective  it  should 
be  carried  out  very  far  back— best  of  all  out  of  sight— so 
that  the  magnificent  music  will  not  be  marred  by  the 
sight  of  an  impossible  monstrum.  The  music  is  highly 
dramatic.  The  exultant  force  of  the  Motive  of  Sieg- 
mund  the  Fearless,  which  rings  out  like  a  shout  of  bar- 
baric joy  as  Siegfried  rushes  upon  Fafner,  the  crashing 
chord  as  the  serpent  roars  when  Siegfried  buries  the 
sword  in  its  heart,  the  rearing,  plunging  music  as  the 
monster  rears  and  plunges  with  agony — these  are  some  of 
the  most  graphic  features  of  the  score.* 

Siegfried  raises  his  fingers  to  his  lips  and  licks  the 
blood  from  them.  Immediately  after  the  blood  has  touched 
his  lips  he  seems  to  understand  the  bird,  which  has  again 
begun  its  song,  while  the  forest  voices  once  more  weave 
their  tremulous  melody.  The  bird  tells  Siegfried  oi  the 
ring  and  helmet  and  of  the  other  treasures  in  Fafner  s 
cave,  and  Siegfried  enters  it  in  quest  of  them.  With  his 
disappearance  the  forest-weaving  suddenly  changes  to  the 
harsh,  scolding  notes  heard  in  the  beginning  of  the  Nibel- 
heim  scene  in  the  "  The  Rhinegold."  Mime  slinks  in  and 
timidly  looks  about  him  to  make  sure  of  Fafner' s  death. 
At  the  same  time  Alberich  issues  forth  from  the  crevice  in 
which  he  was  concealed.  This  scene,  in  which  the  two 
Nibelungs  berate  each  other  after  the  liveliest  fashion,  is 
episodical,  being  hardly  necessary  to  the  development  of  the 
plot.  It  is,  however,  capitally  treated,  and  its  humor  affords 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  preceding  scenes.** 

As  Siegfried  comes  out  of  the  cave  and  brings  the  ring 

♦  Observe  the  significant  occurrence  of  the  Motives  of  the  Curse,  Siegfried 
and  the  Nibelungs'  Malevolence  in  the  accompaniment  to  Fa/ner's  dying 
words. 

**  The  Nibelung  and  Tarnhelraet  Motives  are  prominent. 


''Siegfried:-  rt 

and  helmet  from  darkness  to  the  light  of  day  there  are 
heard  the  Ring  Motive,  the  Motive  of  the  Rhinedaughters* 
Shout  of  Triumph  and  the  Rhinegold  Motive. 

These,  familiar  from  "  Rhinegold,"  will  be  found  quoted  in 
the  analysis  of  it.  The  forest-weaving  again  begins,  and  the 
bird  bids  the  young  Walsung  beware  of  Mime.  The  dwarf 
now  approaches  Siegfried  with  repulsive  sycophancy.  But 
under  a  smiling  face  lurks  a  plotting  heart.  Siegfried  is 
enabled  through  the  supernatural  gifts  with  which  he  has 
become  endowed  to  fathom  the  purpose  of  the  dwarf,  who, 
unconsciously  discloses  his  scheme  to  poison  Siegfried. 
The  young  Walsung  slays  Mime,  who,  as  he  dies,  hears 
Alberich's  mocking  laugh.  Alberich  has  felled  another 
victim.  Though  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  pre- 
dominates at  this  point,  we  also  hear  the  Nibelung  Motive 
and  the  Motive  of  the  Curse — indicating  the  Nibelung's 
evil  intent  toward  Siegfried, 

Siegfried  again  reclines  under  the  linden.  His  soul  is 
tremulous  with  an  undefined  longing.  As  he  gazes  in 
almost  painful  emotion  up  to  the  branches  and  asks  if  the 
bird  can  tell  him  where  he  can  find  a  friend,  his  being 
seems  stirred  by  awakening  passion. 

The  music  quickens  with  an  impetuous  phrase  (p.  228,  1. 
3),  which  seems  to  define  the  first  joyous  thrill  of  passion 
in  the  youthful  hero.     It  is  the  Motive  of  Love's  Joy  (51). 

It  is  interrupted  (p.  229, 1. 2,)  by  a  beautiful  variant  of  the 
Motive  of  Love-life  (No.  47),  w^hich  continues  until  above 
the  Forest-weaving  the  bird  again  thrills  him  with  its  tale 
of  the  glorious  maid  who  has  so  long  slumbered  upon  the 
fire-guarded  rock.  With  the  Motive  of  Love's  Joy  cours- 
ing through  the  orchestra,  Siegfried,  bids  the  feathery 
songster  continue,  and,  finally,  to  guide  him  to  Briinnhilde. 
In  answer,  the  bird  flutters  from  the  linden  branch,  hovers 


78 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 


over  Siegfried,  and  hesitatingly  flies  before  him  until  it 
takes  a  definite  course  toward  the  background.     Siegfried 


follows  the  little  singer,  the  Motive  of  Love's  Joy,  suc- 
ceeded by  that  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless,  bringing  the  act 
to  a  close. 

Act  III. 

The  third  act  opens  with  a  stormy  introduction,  in  which 
the  Motive  of  the  Ride   of  t^he  Valkyrs'"  Accompanies  the  \ 
Motive  of  the  Gods'  Stress^  (p.  239,  1.  4,  bar  3),  the  Com-M 
pact  and  the  Erda  Motives--'<p.  239,  1.  6,  bar  3).     The  intro- 
duction reaches  its  climax  with  the  Motive  of  the  Dusk 
OF  THE  Gods  (No.  52  infra).  ^ 

Then  to  the  sombre,  questioning  phrase  of  the  Motive  of  ^ 
Fate,  the  action  begins  to  disclose  the  significance  of  this 
vorspiel.    A  wild  region  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky  mountain  is 
seen.     It  is  night.     A  fierce  storm  rages.     In  dire  stress 
and  fearful  that  through   Siegfried  and  BrUnnhilde  the 


^ 


''SIEGFRIED. 


79 


rulership  of  the  world  may  pass  from  the  gods  to  the  human 
race,  Wotan  summons  Erda  from  her  subterranean  dwel- 
ling. But  Erda  has  no  counsel  for  the  storm-driven,  con- 
science-stricken god.  The  chief  motives  which  accompany 
the  scene  up  to  this  point  are  familiar  from  earlier  portions 
of  the  Cycle.  They  are,  besides  the  Erda  and  Compact 
Motives,  the  Motive  of  the  Dusk  of  the  Gods  (p.  244, 1.  3, 


cm  Fedale. 


-id  M-    <- 


:^- 


f^^^^^^^m 


Jfca. 


J-^ 


S^^: 


a^ 


it^ 


pp 


-^z. 


^^ 


bar  7),  the  Walhalla  and  Fate  Motives,  and  those  of  the 
Renunciation,  and  Briinnhilde's  Pleading. 

The  scene  reaches  its  climax  in  Woiatt's  noble  renuncia- 
tion of  the  empire  of  the  world.  Weary  of  strife,  weary 
of  struggling  against  the  decree  of  fate  he  renounces  his 
sway.  Let  the  era  of  human  love  supplan  this  dynasty,  sweep- 
ing away  the  gods  and  the  Nibelungs  in  its  mighty  current. 
For  mournful  dignity  this  episode  is  unrivalled.  It  is  the 
last  defiance  of  all-conquering  fate  by  the  ruler  of  a  mighty 


80 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 


race.  After  a  powerful  struggle  against  irresistible  forces, 
Wotan  comprehends  that  the  twilight  of  the  gods  will  be 
the  dawn  of  a  more  glorious  epoch.  A  phrase  of  great 
dignity  gives  force  to  Wotan's  utterances.  It  is  the 
Motive  of  the  World's  Heritage: 


Siegfried  enters,  guided  to  the  spot  by  the  bird  ;  Wotan 
checks  his  progress  with  the  same  spear  which  shivered 
Siegfnund's  sword.  Siegfried  must  fight  his  way  to 
Briinnhilde.  With  a  mighty  blow  the  young  Walsung 
shatters  the  spear  and  Wotan  disappears 'mid  the  crash 
of  the  Motive  of  Compact — for  the  spear  with  which  it  was 
the  chief  god's  duty  to  enforce  compacts  is  shattered. 
Meanwhile  the  gleam  of  fire  has  become  noticeable.  Fiery 
clouds  float  down  from  the  mountain.  Siegfried  s\.ziid,s  at 
the  rim  of  the  magic  circle.  Winding  his  horn  he  plunges 
into  the  seething  flames.  Around  the  Motive  of  Siegfried 
the  Fearless  and  the  Siegfried  Motive  flash  the  Magic 


''SIEGFRIED:'  81 

Fire  and  Loge  Motives.  On  p.  282,  1.  3,  bar  i  the  Rhine- 
daughters'  Shout  of  Triumph  (No.  5)  will  be  found  com- 
bined with  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  and — be- 
ginning p.  284,  1.  5,  bar  3 — there  is  an  interesting  sequence 
of  the  Siegfried  Motive  and  the  Rhine-daughters'  Shout  of 
Triumph  combined  with  the  Slumber  Motive.  Siegfried  is 
seen  ascending  the  heights. 

The  flames  having  flashed  forth  with  dazzling  brilliancy 
gradually  pale  before  the  red  glow  of  dawn  till  a  rosy  mist 
envelopes  the  scene.  When  it  rises,  the  Valkyr's  Rock  and 
Brunnhilde  in  deep  slumber  under  the  fir  tree,  as  in  the 
finale  of  "  The  Valkyr,"  are  seen.  Siegfried  appears  on 
the  height  in  the  background.  As  he  gazes  upon  the 
scene  there  are  heard  the  Fate  and  Slumber  Motives  and 
then  the  orchestra  weaves  a  lovely  variant  of  the  Freia 
Motive  (No.  12).  ;  This  is  followed  by  the  softly  caressing 
strains  of  the  Fricka  Motive  (No.  10).  Fricka  sought  to 
make  Wotan  faithful  to  her  by  bonds  of  love,  and  hence 
the  Fricka  Motive  in  this  scene  does  not  reflect  her  person- 
ality but  rather  the  awakening  of  the  love  which  is  to  thrill 
Siegfried  v^htTvht  has  beheld  Brunnhilde' s  itdlnrts.  As 
he  sees  Brunnhilde  s  charger  slumbering  in  the  grove  we 
hear  the  Motive  of  the  Valkyrs'  Ride  and,  when  his  gaze 
is  attracted  by  the  sheen  of  Brunnhilde  s  armor,  the  theme 
of  Wotan's  Farev/ell  (p.  62,  sup.).  Approaching  the  armed 
slumberer  under  the  fir  tree  Siegfrie d  rsists  the  shield  and 
discloses  the  figure  of  the  sleeper,  the  face  being  almost 
hidden  by  the  helmet. 

He  carefully  loosens  the  helmet.  As  he  takes  it  off 
Brfinnhilde's  face  is  disclosed  and  her  long  curls  flow  down 
over  her  bosom.  Siegfried  gazes  upon  her  enraptured. 
Drawing  his  sword  he  cuts  through  the  rings  of  mail  on 
both  sides,  gently  lifts  off  the  corselet  and  greaves,  and 


WA  GNEK S  MUSIC-DRAMA  S. 


Briinnhilde,  in  soft  female  drapery,  lies  before  him.  He 
starts  back,  in  wonder.  Notes  of  impassioned  import — the 
Motive  of  Love's  Xoy — express  the  feehngs  [  that  well  up 
from  his  heart  as  for  the  first  time  he  beholds  a  woman. 
The  fearless  hero  is  infused  with  fear  by  a  slumbering 
woman.  The  Walsung  Motive,  aftervv^ards  beautifully 
varied  with  the  Motive  of  Love's  Joy,  accompanies  his 


54 


^      1      i       * 


tr 


^1 ^.-^^ 


Utterances,  the  climax  of  his  emotional  excitement  being 
expressed  in  a  majestic  crescendo  of  the  Freia  Motive  (p. 
294,  1.  4,  bar  4,  et  seq^.  A  sudden  feeling  of  awe  gives  him 
at  least  the  outward  appearance  of  calmness.  With  the 
Motive  of  Fate  he  faces  his  destiny ;  and  then,  while  the 
Freia  Motive  rises  like  a  vision  of  loveliness,  he  sinks  over 
Briinnhilde,  and  with  closed  eyes  presses  his  lips  to  hers. 
Briinnhilde  awakens.     Siegfried  starts  up.     She  rises  ^ 


''SIEGFRIEDr  83 

and  with  noble  gesture  greets  in  majestic  accents  her 
return  to  the  sight  of  earth.  Strains  of  loftier  eloquence 
than  those  of  her  greeting  have  never  been  composed. 
Brmtnhilde  rises  from  her  magic  slumbers  in  the  majesty 
of  womanhood  (No.  54  supra). 

With  the  Motive  of  Fate  she  asks  who  is  the  hero  who 
has  awakened  her.  The  superb  Siegfried  Motive  gives 
back  the  proud  answer.  In  rapturous  phrases  they  greet 
one  another.  It  is  the  Motive  of  Love's  Greeting 
(No.  55  infra^  which  unites  their  voices  in  impassioned 
accents  until,  as  if  this  motive  no  longer  sufficed  to  express 
their  ecstacy,  it  is  followed  by  the  Motive  of  Love's 
Passion  (No.  56  infra,)  which,  with  the  Siegfried  Motive, 
rises  and  falls  with  the  heaving  of  Briinnhildes  bosom. 

These  motives  course  impetuously  through  this  scene. 
Here  and  there  we  have  others  recalling  former  portions  of 
the  cycle — the  Walsung  motive  (p.  303, 1.  2,  bar  7),  when 
Briinnhilde  refers  to  Siegfried's  mother,  Sieglinde ;  the 
Motive  of  Briinnhilde's  Pleading  when  she  tells  him  of  her 
defiance  of  Woian's  behest  (p.  305,  1.  2,  bar  3) ;  a 
variant  of  the  Walhalla  Motive  when  she  speaks  of  herself  in 
Valhall  (p.  313, 1.  3,  bar  7)  ;  and  the  Motive  of  the  World's 
Heritage  with  which  Siegfried  claims  her,  this  last  lead- 
ing over  to  a  forceful  climax  of  the  Motive  of  Briinn- 
hilde's Pleading,  which  is  followed  by  a  lovely,  tranquil 
episode  introduced  by  the  Motive  of  Love's  Peace, 
which  is  succeeded  (p.  319,  1.  3,  bars  1-5)  by  a  motive, 
ardent  yet  tender— the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Pro- 
tector (Nos.  57  and  58  infra). 

These  motives  accompany  the  action  most  expressively. 
Briinnhilde  still  hesitates  to  cast  off  forever  the  super- 
natural characteristics  of  the  Valkyr  and  give  herself  up  en- 
tirely to   Siegfried.    The  young  hero's  growing  ecstacy 


84  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 

55 


(SIEOFBIED  in  an  outburst  of  the  utmost  rapture.) 
{SIEGFBIED  in  erhabenste  Enzuckung  aud/rechend.) 


mcMo  tenuto. 


:|^^S- 


*' SIEGFRIEDS  85 

finds  expression  in  the  Motive  of  Love's  Joy.  At  last  it 
awakens  a  responsive  note  of  purely  human  passion  in 
Brunnhilde  and,  answering  the  proud  Siegfried  Motive  with 


.  ?:lll 

56 

mgi^ 

T^^ 

@— s^ 

■-^■r 

-f— N- 

w — p 

\ ^  -.     .    , 

— ^ 

^. 

67 

Molto  tranquiUo  e  moderato. 


m. 


poco.  f  =-p  U- 


:{={: 


-^-r^- 
^fe 


e^ 


the  jubilant  Shout  of  the  Valkyrs  and  the  ecstatic  measures 
of  Love's  Passion,  she  proclaims  herself  his.  Then,  as 
river  and  sea  meet  in  turbulent  billows,  so  meet  the  emo- 


86  WA  GNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMA S. 

tions  of  Briinnhilde  and  Siegfried  in  a  surging  flood  of 
music.  As  she  clasps  him  to  her  bosom  his  frame  quivers 
with  a  joyous  thrill  and  in  a  glorious  burst  of  impassioned 
melody  love  rises  to  its  rapturous  climax,  Siegfried  and 
Briinnhilde  are  united !  From  the  Valkyr,  fearful  of  sur- 
rendering her  virgin  purity  lest  with  it  she  should  loose  her 
goddess-like  power,  Briinnhilde  has  changed  to  a  woman, 
swayed  by  woman's  emotions  and  passions  and  with  that 
complete  faith  in  her  lover  which  is  perhaps  the  most 
sublime  attribute  of  woman's  love. 


"THE    DUSK    OF    THE    GODS."» 


The  "  Dusk  of  the  Gods  "  is  in  a  prologue  and  three  acts. 
The  Prologue. 

The  first  scene  of  the  prologue  is  a  weirdly  effective  con- 
ference of  the  three  gray  sisters  of  fate — the  Norns  who 
wind  the  skein  of  life.  They  have  met  on  the  Valkyrs' 
rock  and  their  words  forebode  the  end  of  the  Gods.  At 
last  the  skein  they  have  been  win,ding  breaks — the  final 
catastrophe  is  impending.  The  chief  Motives  heard  in  this 
scene  are  the  Erda  and  Fate  Motives,  with  which  latter  it 
passes  over  to  the  second  scene — Siegfried's  farewell  to 
Briinnhilde. 

An  orchestral  interlude  depicts  the  transition  from  the 
unearthly  gloom  of  the  Norn  scene  to  break  of  day,  the 
climax  being  reached  in  a  majestic  burst  of  music  as  Sieg- 
fried and  Briinnhilde,  he  in  full  armor,  she  leading  her 
steed  by  the  bridle,  issue  forth  from  the  rocky  cavern  in 
the  background.  This  climax  owes  its  sublime  eloquence 
to  three  motives — that  of  the  Ride  of  the  Valkyrs  and  two 
new  motives,  the  one  as  lovely  as  the  other  is  heroic,  the 
former  being  the  Brunnhilde  Motive  (59),  the  latter 
the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Hero  (60): 

69 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 
60 


The  Briinnhilde  Motive  seems  to  express  the  strain  of 
pure,  tender  womanhood  in  the  nature  of  the  former 
Valkyr.  This  motive  proclaims  womanly  ecstacy  over 
wholly  requited  love,  as  distinguished  from  the  barbaric 
frenzy  of  the  wild  horse-woman  of  the  air,  as  Briinnhilde 
appeared  to  us  in  the  first  scene  of  the  second  act  of "  The 
Valkyr."  The  motive  of  Siegfried  the  Hero  is  clearly  de- 
veloped from  the  motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless.  The 
fearless  youth  has  developed  into  the  heroic  man.  Its  out- 
burst from  the  orchestra  in  the  dawn  scene  almost  simul- 
taneously with  the  first  full  effulgence  of  the  day  and  the 
forthcoming  of  Siegfried  and  Briinnhilde  from  the  cavern 
recall  the  psalmist's  apostrophe  of  the  sun : 

Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber. 

It  represents  the  highest  development  of  manhood.  It 
is  the  most  exaltedly  heroic  and  at  the  same  time,  if  the  ex- 
pression be  allowable,  the  most  muscular  motive  of  the 
Cycle. 

In  this  scene  Briinnhilde  and  Siegfried  plight  their 
troth,  and  Siegfried  having  given  to  Briinnhilde  the 
fatal  ring  and  having  received  from  her  the  steed 
Grane,  which  once  bore  her  in  her  wild  course  through  the 
storm  clouds,  bids  her  farewell  and  sets  forth  in  quest  of 
further  adventure.  This  scene  is  one  of  Wagner's  most 
beautiful  creations.  In  addition  to  the  two  new  mo- 
tives already  quoted  there  occurs  a  third — the  Motive  of 
Brunnhilde's  Love. 

When  a  woman  of  a  strong,  deep  nature  once  gives  her- 


''THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODS,'*  89 

self  up  to  love  her  passion  is  as  strong  and  deep  as  her 
nature.  It  is  not  the  surface-heat  passion  that  finds  ex- 
pression in  the  French  drama  and  the  Italian  opera  to  which 
Wagner  has  given  vent  in  the  music  of  this  scene.  It  is  love 
rising  from  the  depths  of  an  heroic  woman's  soul.  The 
grandeur  of  her  ideal  of  Siegfried,  her  thoughts  of  him  as  a 
hero  winning  fame,  her  pride  in  his  prowess,  her  love  for 
one  whom  she  deems  the  bravest  among  men,  find  mag- 
nificent expression  in  the  MOTIVE  OF  BRUNNHILDE'S 
LOVE: 


On  p.  25, 1.  2,  bar.  2,  occurs  a  contracted  form  of  the 
Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Hero  which  is  effectively  used 
throughout  the  scene,  especially  in  those  portions  where, 
after  Briinnhilde  has  given  Grane  into  his  charge,  it  is 
heard  in  combination  with  the  Motive  of  the  Ride  (p.  31, 
1.  4,  bar  3,  and  p.  33, 1.  3,  bar  2).  On  the  page  last  quoted 
this  combination  of  motives  is  succeeded  by  a  sturdy  theme 
— a  bar  from  Siegfried's  wander-song  in  the  first  act  of 
"Siegfried,"  which  forms  the  basis  of  the  impassioned 
phrases  with  which  Siegfried ^Xi^  Briinnhilde  bid  one  an- 
other farewell  (p.  36, 1.  i,  beginning  at  bar  2).  Siegfried 
disappears  with  the  steed  behind  the  rocks  and  Briinnhilde 
stands  upon  the  cliff  looking  down  the  valley  after  him  ; 
his  horn  is  heard  from  below  and  Briinnhilde  with  raptur- 
ous gesture  waves  him  her  farewell.  The  orchestra  accom- 
panies the  action  with  the  Briinnhilde  Motive,  the  Motive 
of  Siegfried  the  Fearless,  and  finally  with  the  theme  of  the 
love-duet  with  which  "  Siegfried  "  closed. 


90 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 


The  curtain  then  falls  and  between  the  prologue  and  the 
first  act  we  have  an  orchestral  interlude  descriptive  of  Szeg- 
fried's  voyage  down  the  Rhine  to  the  castle  of  the  Gibich- 
ungs  where  dwell  Gunther,  his  sister  Gutrune,  and  their 
half-brother  Hagen,  the  son  of  Alberich.  Through  Hagen 
the  curse  hurled  by  Alberich  in  the  "  Rhinegold  "  at  all  into 
whose  possession  the  ring  shall  come,  is  worked  out  to  the 
end  of  its  fell  purpose — Siegfried  is  betrayed  and  destroyed 
and  the  rule  of  the  gods  brought  to  an  end  by  Briinnhildes 
expiation. 

In  the  interlude  between  the  prologue  and  the  first  act  we 
first  hear  the  brilliant  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  and 
then  the  gracefully  flowing  Motives  of  the  Rhine,  and  of  the 
Rhinedaughters'  Shout  of  Triumph  with  the  Motives  of  the 
Rhinegold  and  Ring.  Hagan's  malevolent  plotting,  of  which 
we  are  so  soon  to  learn  in  the  firstact,  is  foreshadowed  by  the 
sombre  harmonies  which  suddenly  perv^ade  the  music — the 
Motive  of  Renunciation  (p.  44, 1.  4)  and  a  motive  based  on 
that  of  the  Tamhelmet  and  expressive  of  the  Nibelungs' 
Power  for  evil : 


62 


I 


Act  I. 

This  act  opens  in  the  hall  of  the  Gibichungs,  on  the'Rhine. 
Gunther,  Hagen  {Alberich' s  son)  and  Gutrune,  the  sister 


''THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODSr  91 

of  Gunther,  are  plotting  against  Siegfried,  of  whose  exploit 
in  capturing  the  ring  from  Fafner  and  irttmg  Briinnhzldey 
Hagen  knows.  Gunther  is  disposed  to  be  contented  with 
what  he  has,  but  Hagen  urges  him  to  take  a  wife  and  pro- 
cure a  husband  for  Gutrune,  suggesting  that  she  give  Sieg- 
fried a  love-potion,  which  will  excite  him  to  love  her  and 
give  up  Briinnhilde  to  Gunther. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  this  act  the  Hagen  Motive  is 
heard.  Particularly  noticeable  in  it  are  the  first  two  sharp, 
decisive  chords.  They  recur  with  frightful  force  in  the 
third  act  when  Hagen  slays  Siegfried.  The  Hagen  Mo- 
tive is  as  follows: 

63 


This  is  followed  by  the  GiBiCHUNG  Motive,  the  two 
motives  being  frequently  heard  in  the  opening  scene : 


Motives  prominent  in  earlier  scenes  and  easily  to  be 
recognized  occur  when  Hagen  describes  the  beauty  of 
Briinnhilde,  and  the  powers  of  Siegfried  2iX\6.  suggests  the 
infamous  trick  by  which  Siegfried  \s  to  be  induced  to  win  her 
for  Gunther— iht  Motives  of  the  Ride  of  the  Valkyrs,  of  the 
Walsungs'  Heroism  (p.  49, 1. 1,  bar  4),  of  Siegfried  the  Fear-  — - 


93  WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 

less  (p.  49, 1.  3,  bar  i)  and  of  the  Ring,  Renunciation  and 
Gold,  followed  appropriately  by  the  motive  of  the  Nibelungs' 
Power  through  which  Siegfried's  destruction  is  to  be  com- 
passed (p.  51,  1.,  I,  bar  2 — 1.4,  bar  i).  Added  to  these  is  the 
Motive  of  the  Love  Potion  which  is  to  cause  Sieg- 
fried to  forget  BrUnnhilde,  and  conceive  a  violent  passion 
for  Gutrune : 


espressivo. 


65 


The  notes  of  Siegfried's  horn  are  heard  in  the  distance. 
As  Hagen  looks  down  the  river  and  describes  to  Gun- 
iher  how,  with  an  easy  stroke,  the  hero  forces  the  boat 
against  the  swift  current,  we  hear  an  effective  combination 
of  the  Motives  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  and  of  the  Rhine- 
daughters'  Shout  of  Triumph  (p.  59,  1.  i,  bar  i);  the  Nibe- 
lung-son's  boisterous  greeting  in  answer  to  which  Siegfried 
lays  to  with  his  boat  is  appropriately  followed  with  tragic 
force  by  the  Motive  of  the  Curse.  The  Siegfried  Motive  im- 
parts dignity  to  the  meeting  between  the  young  hero  and 
Gunther.  When  Siegfried  asks  Hagen  how  he  recognized 
him  although  they  had  never  met,  the  Motive  of  the  Curse, 
prophetically  significant,  accompanies  the  query.  At  the 
hero's  command  to  Hagen  that  he  heedfully  tend  Grane  the 
Briinnhilde  Motive  and  the  Motives  of  Briinnhilde's  Love, 
and  of  the  Ride  of  the  Valkyrs  are  heard.  After  some 
parley  between  the  men,  Gutrune,  who,  at  a  gesture  from 


''THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODS"  93 

Hagen,  had  retired,  re-enters  bearing  a  drin-king  horn  and 
approaching  Siegfried  bids  him  welcome  in  the  Gutrune 
Motive  : 

66 

U(Mo  moderato. 


P 


i 


:^fe?: 


p    dctce. 


tit 


f< -r  r- — r 


This  is  followed  by  the  Motive  of  the  Love  Potion  and 
then,  after  the  orchestra  has  murmured  memories  of  the 
love-scene  in  "  Siegfried,"  the  young  hero  drains  the  drink- 
ing horn  to  Briinnhildes  happiness.  His  manner  sudden- 
ly changes.  The  Motive  of  the  Love  Potion  becomes  more 
animated.  Siegfried  regards  Gutrune  with  growing  admi- 
ration. He  asks  her  of  Gunther  in  marriage.  The  Love 
Potion,  which  he  quaffed  to  Brilnnhilde,  has  effaced  all 
memory  of  her.  This  is  made  doubly  apparent  when  Gun- 
ther asks  in  return  for  Gutrune  s  hand  that  Siegfried,  dis- 
guised in  the  Tarnhelmet  as  Gunther^  penetrate  the  fiery 
barrier  and  lead  Briinnhilde  as  bride  to  him.  Siegfried 
repeats  mechanically,  as  if  endeavoring  to  collect  his 
thoughts,  Gunther  s  references  to  the  rock  and  fire,  and 
even  the  mention  of  Briinnhilde' s  name  awakens  no  respon- 
sive thrill  in  him.  He  offers  to  bring  Briinnhilde  to  Gun- 
ther as  bride  and  to  unite  himself  with  the  Gibichung  by 
the  sacred  compact  of  blood-brotherhood.  Each  with  his 
sword  draws  blood  from  his  arm  which  he  allows  to  mingle 
with  wine  in  a  drinking-horn  held  by  Hagen;  each  lays  two 


94 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS, 


fingers  upon  the  horn,  and  then,  having  pledged  blood- 
brotherhood,  drinks  of  the  blood  and  wine.  This  ceremony 
is  significantly  introduced  by  the  Motive  of  the  Curse  fol- 
lowed by  the  Motive  of  Compact  (p.  75,  1.  3,  bar  5). 
Phrases  of  Siegfried's  and  Gunthers  pledge  are  set  to  a 
new  motive  whose  forceful  simplicity  effectively  expresses 
the  idea  of  troth.    It  is  the  Motive  of  the  Vow  : 


67 


P 


\r-^=f- 


i^^^ 


-I 1         I 


Blii    -    -   hen  -  den       Le    -    bens       la 
Bios   -   -   8om  -  ing      life  -  stream^     lib 


ben  -  des 
er   •   al 


--A     J 


w 


-fe: 


mf   motto  sostenuto. 


dim. 


Wi 


^ 


=@^ 


Abruptly  following  Siegfried's  pledge  : 

Thus  drmk  I  thee  troth, 

are  those  two  chords  of  the  Hagen  Motive  which  are  heard 


''THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODS."  95 

again  in  the  third  act  when  the  Nibelung  has  slain  Sieg- 
fried. 

Guniher  and  Siegfried  tn\.^x\}ci^  latter's  boat,  cast  off  and 
begin  their  journey  to  the  Valkyr  Rock  where  Siegfried 
under  the  influence  of  the  magic  Love  Potion  is  to  forcibly 
seize  his  own  bride  and  deliver  her  to  Gunther.  The  latter 
it  should  perhaps  be  stated  here,  is  not  aware  of  the  union 
which  existed  between  Briinnhilde  and  Siegfried,  Hagett 
having  carefully  concealed  this  from  his  half-brother  who 
hence  believes  that  he  will  receive  the  Valkyr  in  all  her  god- 
dess-like virginity. 

When  Siegfried 2in<\  Gunther  have  departed  and  Gutrune, 
having  sighed  her  farewell  after  her  lover,  has  retired, 
Hagen  broods  with  wicked  glee  over  the  successful  inaugu- 
ration of  his  plot.  During  a  brief  orchestral  interlude  a 
drop  curtain  conceals  the  scene  which,  when  the  curtain 
again  rises,  has  changed  to  the  Valkyrs'  Rock  where  sits 
Briinnhilde,  lost  in  contemplation  of  the  Ring,  while  the 
Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Protector  (No.  58)  is  heard  on 
the  orchestra  like  a  blissful  memory  of  the  love-scene  in 
**  Siegfried." 

Her  rapturous  reminiscences  are  interrupted  by  the 
sounds  of  an  approaching  storm  and  from  the  dark  cloud 
there  issues  one  of  the  Valkyrs,  Waltraute  who  comes  to 
ask  of  Briinnhilde  that  she  cast  back  the  ring  into  the 
Rhine  and  thus  Hft  the  curse  from  the  race  of  gods.  But 
Briinnhilde  refuses : 

More  than  Walhalla's  welfare 
More  than  the  good  of  the  gods, 

The  ring  I  guard. 
From  love  I  part  not  in  life, 
No  gods  can  tear  us  asunder, 
Soon  shall  Walhalla's  walls 

Be  dust  for  the  winds  ! 


96  WA GNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMA S. 

It  is  dusk.  The  magic  fire  rising  from  the  valley  throws 
a  glow  over  the  landscape.  The  notes  of  Siegfried's 
horn  are  heard.  Briinnhilde  Joyously  prepares  to  meet  him. 
Suddenly  she  sees  a  stranger  leap  through  the  flames.  It 
is  Siegfried,  who  through  the  Tarn-helmet  (the  motive  of 
which,  followed  by  the  Gunther  Motive  dominates  the  first 
part  of  the  scene)  has  assumed  the  guise  of  the  Gibichung. 
In  vain  Briinnhilde  seeks  to  defend  herself  with  the  might 
which  the  ring  imparts.  She  [is  powerless  against  the  in- 
truder. As  he  tears  the  ring  from  her  finger,  the  Motive  of 
the  Curse  resounds  with  tragic  import  followed  by  trist 
echoes  of  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Protector  and  of  the 
Briinnhilde  Motive,  the  last  being  succeeded  by  the  Tarnhel- 
met  Motive  expressive  of  the  evil  magic  which  has  wrought 
this  change  in  Siegfried,  Briinnhilde* S2ih]ect  recognition  of 
her  impotence  is  accompanied  by  the  restless,  syncopated 
rhythm  of  the  Nibelungs'  Malevolence  (No.  22),  as  she  en- 
ters the  cavern.  Before  Siegfried  follows  her  he  draws 
his  sword  Nothung  (Needful)  and  exclaims  : 

Now  Nothung,  witness  thou,  that  chaste  my  wooing  is  ; 

To  keep  my  faith  with  my  brother,  separate  me  from  his  bride. 

The  music  of  this  closing  episode  is  forcefully  graphic. 
It  opens  {Piu  animato,  p.  127)  with  the  abrupt  chords  of 
the  Hagen  Motive.  These  and  the  Motive  of  Compact  ac- 
company the  Sword  Motive  when  Siegfried  draws  Nothung 
(p.  127, 1. 2,  bars  2  and  3).  Phrases  of  the  Pledge  of  Blood- 
brotherhood  followed  by  the  Briinnhilde,  Gutrune  and 
Sword  Motives  accompany  his  words.  The  abrupt  Hagen 
chords  lead  to  the  Motives  of  the  Nibelungs*  Power  and 
Tarnhelmet  which  pass  into  the  Briinnhilde  Motive.  This 
rises  for  a  moment  triumphantly  over  the  sombre,  threaten- 
ing harmonies  of  malevolence  and  sorcery.  But  it  ends 
abruptly;  and  the  chords  so  forcefully  expressive  of  Hagen's 


THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODSr 


97 


vindictive  power,  with  the  Tarnhelmet  Motive  through 
which  the  thuds  of  the  typical  Nibelung  rhythm  resound, 
lead  to  the  last  crashing  chord  of  this  eventful  act. 

Act  II. 

The  ominous  Motive  of  the  Nibelungs*  Malevolence 
introduces  the  second  act.  The  curtain  rises  upon  the  ex- 
terior of  the  hall  of  the  Gibichungs.  To  the  right  is  the 
open  entrance  to  the  hall ;  to  the  left  the  bank  of  the  Rhine, 
from  which  rises  a  rocky  ascent  toward  the  background. 
It  is  night.  Hagetiy  spear  in  hand  and  shield  at  side,  leans 
in  sleep  against  a  pillar  of  the  hall.  Through  the  weird 
moonlight  Alberich  appears.  He  urges  Hagen  to  murder 
Siegfried  and  to  seize  the  ring  from  his  finger.  After  hear- 
ing Hagen' s  oath  that  he  will  be  faithful  to  the  hate  he  has 
inherited,  Alberich  disappears.  The  weirdness  of  the  sur- 
roundings, the  monotony  of  Hagen' s  answers^  uttered  seem- 
ingly in  sleep,  as  if,  even  when  the  Nibelung  slumbers,  his 
mind  remained  active,  imbue  this  scene  with  awful  mystery. 
New  in  this  scene  is  the  Murder  Motive  : 


A  charming  orchestral  interlude  depicts  the  break  of  day. 
Its  serene  beauty  is,  however,  broken  in  upon  by  the  Mo- 
tive OF  Hagen's  Wicked  Glee,  which  I  quote,  as  it  fre- 
quently occurs  in  the  course  of  the  succeeding  events : 

69 


9a 


WAGNER'S  MUSIC-DRAMAS. 


The  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Fearless  accompanies 
Siegfried's  appearance.  When  Gutrune  joins  him  and 
HageUy  and  Siegfried  relates  how  he  won  BrUnnhilde  for 
Gunther  the  Motive  of  the  Tarnhelmet  is  frequently  heard 
usually  combined  with  some  other  Motive,  f .  i.,  with  the 
Motive  of  Love's  Joy  at  p.  144, 1.  4,  bar  i;  with  the  Loge 
Motive  (p.  145,  1.  3,  bar  2)  and  with  the  Motive .  of  the 
Ride  of  the  Valkyrs  (p.  146, 1.  i,  bar  5).  The  appropriate 
use  of  these  will  readily  be  recognized  from  the  context. 
Siegfried  having  led  Gutrune  into  the  hall,  Hagen  ascends 
a  rocky  height  and  loudly  summons  the  vassals  of  Gibich- 
ung.  During  the  ensuing  bustling,  noisy  scene  a  variant  of 
the  Gutrune  Motive  (p.  151, 1.  3,  bar  2)  is  employed  as  a 
Wedding  Summons  : 


sempre.  f 


m 


fe 


i^^^ 


A  boisterous  chorus  of  rejoicing,  barbaric  in  its  sturdy 
force,  greets  Gunther  as  he  leads  Brtlnnhilde  from  the  boat, 
to  the  open  space  before  the  hall  from  which  latter  Sieg- 
fried, Gutrune  and  her  train  of  women  have  issued.  Soon, 
however,  the  shadow  of  impending  tragedy  darkens  the 
scene. 

When  Gunther  greets  Gutrune  and  Siegfried ^^'lih.  the  Mo- 
tive of  the  Wedding  Summons,  BrUnnhilde  raising  her  eyes 
perceives  Siegfried  on  whom  her  astonished  gaze  remains 
riveted.     The  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Hero,  the  Sword 


THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODS: 


99 


Motive  and  tlie  Chords  of  the  Hagen  Motive  emphasize  with 
a  tumultuous  crash  the  dramatic  significance  of  the  situa- 
tion. There  is  a  sudden  hush — Brilnnhilde  astounded  and 
dumb,  Siegfried  unconscious  of  guilt  quietly  self-possessed, 
Gimther,  Gutrune  and  the  vassals  silent  with  amazement — it 
is  during  this  moment  of  tension  that  we  hear  the  motive 
which  expresses  the  thought  uppermost  in  Brilnnhilde,  the 
thought  which  would  find  expression  in  a  burst  of  frenzy 
were  not  her  wrath  held  in  check  by  her  inability  to  quite 
grasp  the  meaning  of  the  situation  or  to  quite  fathom  the 
depth  of  the  treachery  of  which  she  has  been  the  victim. 
This  is  the  Motive  of  Vengeance  : 


Tenderly  the  Gutrune  Motive,  or  rather  the  version  of  it 
which  formed  the  Wedding  Summons,  accompanies  Briinn- 
hilde's 

Siegfried  here?    Gutrune? 

and  Siegfried's  calm  response: 

Gunther's  mild-eyed  sister 
Mate  to  me  as  thou  to  him. 

But  it  is  broken  in  upon  by  the  now  unbridled  fury  of  the 
Motive  of  Vengeance  (p.  i8i,  1.  3,  bar  i).  Then,  again 
dazed  and  still  incredulous,  Brilnnhilde  totters  and  is  saved 
from  falling  only  by  Siegfried  who  supports  her.  Looking 
up  to  him  as  she  did  when  his  being  thrilled  with  love  of 


100  WA  GNER'  S  MUSIC-DRAMA  S. 

her,  she  tenderly  asks  him,  while  the  Briinnhilde  Moti^^e 
adds  to  the  pathos  of  the  scene,  if  he  does  not  recognize  her. 
Suddenly  she  sees  the  ring  upon  his  finger.  The  crashing 
chords  of  the  Ring  Motive  are  followed  by  the  Motive  of 
the  Curse.  Briinnhilde  now  realizes  the  enormity  of  Sieg^ 
fried's  treachery — it  must  have  been  he,  not  Gunther,  who 
overcame  her.  She  hurls  her  accusation  at  Siegfried  with 
versions  of  the  Motive  of  Vengeance  in  which  the  wrath  of 
injured  womanhood  seems  to  attain  its  most  frenzied  ex- 
pression (p.  185, 1.  3,  bars  I  and  2  ;  and  p.  186, 1.  i,  bar  3 
and  1.  2,  bar  i).  When  she  invokes  the  gods  to  witness 
her  humiliation  the  Walhalla  Motive  is  heard.  This  is  fol- 
lowed (p.  190, 1.  2,  bar  6)  by  the  touchingly  pathetic  Motive 
of  Briinnhilde's  Pleading,  which,  however,  soon  gives  way 
to  the  Motive  of  Vengeance  when  she  calls  upon  the  gods 
to  give  her  vengeance  commensurate  with  her  wrong. 

Briinnhilde  accuses  Siegfried  of  a  threefold  crime — of 
deserting  her,  of  treachery  toward  Gunther  in  concealing 
from  him  that  she  had  been  his  {Siegfried's)  mate  and  of 
wronging  Gutrune  in  wedding  her  when  he  had  been  already 
mated.  Briinnhilde,  knowing  naught  of  the  love-potion 
which  has  caused  Siegfried  to  forget  his  night  of  love  with 
her  and  to  conceive  a  violent  passion  for  Gutrune,  thirsts 
for  revenge  upon  him  for  his  treachery.  Her  righteous 
wrath  is  intensified  by  jealousy  of  Gunther' s  sister  for  whom 
she  believes  herself  to  have  been  deserted.  Gunther  and 
Gutrune  are  also  aroused,  for  Hage7i  carefully  concealed 
from  them  all  knowledge  of  the  relations  between  Siegfried 
and  Briinnhilde,  and  they  believe  that  Siegfried  exercised 
the  nuptial  privilege  the  night,  when  disguised  as  Gunther, 
he  overcame  Briinnhilde — that  he  has  been  unfaithful  to 
Gutrune  and  has  broken  his  vow  of  Blood-brotherhood 
with  Gunther, 


''THE  DUSK  OF  i^h-E'dOD^.^  yOl 

Siegfried  takes  oath  that  Briinnhilde's  accusation  is 
false  ;  Briimtkilde  swears  that  it  is  true.  The  taking  of 
the  oath  is  introduced  by  the  Motive  of  Vengeance. 

Siegfried sv^tdiTs  upon  HagetCs  spear.  Hence  the  fitness 
of  the  Murder  Motive  and  of  the  sharp,  decisive  chords  o^ 
the  Hagen  Motive.  As  Brilnnhilde  takes  the  oath  the 
Valkyr  music  courses  through  the  orchestra.  All  her  wild 
Valkyr  nature  seems  unloosed.  Siegfried's  oath  allays 
Gutrunes  suspicions.  The  tension  of  the  scene  is  relaxed 
by  the  glad  measures  of  the  Wedding  Summons.  Siegfried, 
throwing  his  arm  around  Gttirune,  draws  her  joyously  with 
him  into  the  hall  whither  they  are  followed  by  the  vassals 
and  women. 

Briinnhilde,  Hagen  and  Gwtther  remain  behind.  The 
Vengeance  and  Murder  Motives  and  the  Motive  of  the  Vow 
dominate  the  ensuing  scene.  Hagen  offers  to  be  the  execu- 
tioner of  Briinnhilde's  and  Guniher's  wengesmce.  Music 
and  action  fairly  seethe  with  excitement.  In  a  trio  through 
which  fierce,  revengeful  passions  surge,  Briinnhilde,  Hagen 
and  Gu7ither  swear  vengeance  upon  Siegfried.  From  this 
outburst  of  wrath  they  turn  to  behold  Gutrunes  bridal  pro- 
cession issuing  from  the  hall.  The  valley  of  the  Rhine  re- 
echoes with  glad  sounds — but  it  is  the  Murder  Motive  which 
brings  the  act  to  a  close. 

Act  III. 

This  act  plays  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  where  stands 
Siegfried,  baffled  in  his  pursuit  of  the  game.  Hagen  has 
arranged  that  Siegfried  shall  be  slain  at  a  hunt  and  brought 
home  as  if  wounded  by  a  boar.  While  Siegfried  stands  on 
the  bank  of  the  Rhine,  the  Rhine-daughters  appear  to  him 
and  promise  to  bring  game  in  his  way  if  he  will  give  them 
the  ring.    Hf   refuses  and  they  disappear,  leaving  him  to 


102:  lA^AGNER'^Mtr^IC-DRAMAS, 

his  fate.  For  charming  badinage  this  scene  can  be  com- 
pared only  with  the  opening  scene  in  "  The  Rhinegold. "  The 
ripples  of  a  lovely  river  do  not  exceed  in  grace  the  music 
with  which  Wagner  has  adorned  this  episode. 

Distant  hunting  horns  are  heard.  Gunther,  Hagen  and 
their  attendants  gradually  assemble  and  encamp  themselves. 
Hagen  fills  a  drinking  horn  and  hands  it  to  Siegfried ^hom 
he  persuades  to  relate  the  story  of  his  life.  This  Siegfried 
does  in  a  wonderfully  picturesque,  musical  and  dramatic 
story  in  which  motives,  often  heard  before,  charm  us  anew.* 

In  the  course  of  the  narrative  he  refreshes  himself  by  a 
draught  from  the  drinking  horn  into  which  meanwhile 
Hagen  has  pressed  the  juice  of  an  herb.  Through  this  the 
effect  of  the  Love  Potion  is  so  far  counteracted  that  tender 
memories  of  Briinnhilde  well  up  within  him  and  he  tells 
with  artless  enthusiasm  how  he  won  her.  Gunther  springs 
up  aghast  at  this  revelation.  Now  he  knows  that  Briinn- 
hilde's  accusation  was  true. 

Two  ravens  fly  overhead.  As  Siegfried  turns  to  look 
after  them  the  Motive  of  the  Curse  resounds  and  Hagen 
plunges  his  spear  into  the  young  hero's  back.  Gunther  and 
the  vassals  throw  themselves  upon  Hagen.  The  Siegfried 
Motive,  cut  short  with  a  crashing  chord,  the  two  murderous 
chords  of  the  Hagen  Motive  forming  the  bass— and  Sieg- 
fried, who  with  a  last  effort  has  heaved  his  shield  aloft  to 
hurl  it  at  Hagen,  lets  it  fall  and,  collapsing,  drops  upon  it. 
So  overpowered  are  the  witnesses  by  the  suddenness  and 
enormity  of  the  crime  that  after  a  few  disjointed  exclama- 
tions, they  gather,  bowed  with  grief,  around  Siegfried. 
Hagen  with  stony  indifference  turns  away  and  disappears 
over  the  height. 

*  Nibelung,  Sword,  Dragon,    Forest-Weaving,    Tarnhelmet,  Briinnhilde's 
Love,  Briinnhilde,  Magic  Fire  and  Briinnhilde's  Greeting. 


''THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODSr  103 

With  the  fall  of  the  last  scion  of  the  Walsung  race  we 
hear  a  new  motive,  simple  yet  indescribably  fraught  with 
woe — the  Death  Motive  (p.  296,  1.  4,  bars  i  and  2). 

5/^cr/>';V^  supported  by  two  men  rises  to  a  sitting  posture 
and  with  a  strange  rapture  gleaming  in  his  glance  intones 
his  death-song.  It  is  an  ecstatic  greeting  to  Brunnhilde. 
"  Briinnhilde  !  "  he  exclaims,  "  thy  wakener  comes  to  wake 
thee  with  his  kiss."  The  ethereal  hannonies  of  the  Motive 
of  Briinnhilde's  Awakening,  the  Motive  of  Fate,  the  Sieg- 
fried Motive  swelling  into  the  Motive  of  Love's  Greeting 
and  dying  away  through  the  Motive  of  Love's  Passion  to 
Siegfried's  last  whispered  accents — "  Brunnhilde  beckons  to 
me  " — in  the  Motive  of  Fate — and  Siegfried  sinks  back  in 
death. 

Full  of  pathos  though  this  episode  be  it  but  brings  us  to 
the  threshold  of  a  scene  of  such  overwhelming  power  that 
it  may  without  exaggeration  be  singled  out  as  the  supreme 
musical-dramatic  effect  in  all  that  Wagner  wrought  and 
hence  the  supreme  effect  in  all  music.  Siegfried's  last 
ecstatic  greeting  to  his  Valkyr  bride  has  made  us  realize  the 
blackness  of  the  treachery  which  tore  the  young  hero  and 
Brunnhilde  asunder  and  led  to  his  death  ;  and  now  as  we 
are  bowed  down  with  a  grief  too  deep  for  utterance — like 
the  grief  with  which  a  nation  gathers  at  the  grave  of  its 
noblest  hero — Wagner  voices  for  us  in  music  of  overwhelm- 
ingly tragic  power  feelings  which  are  beyond  expression  in 
human  speech.  This  is  not  a  funeral  march,  as  it  is  often 
absurdly  called — it  is  the  awful  myster>'  of  death  itself  ex- 
pressed in  music. 

Motionless  with  grief  the  men  gather  around  Siegfried's 
corpse.  Night  falls.  The  moon  casts  a  pale,  sad  light  over 
the  scene.  At  the  silent  bidding  of  Gunther  the  vassals 
raise  the  body  and  bear  it  in  solemn  procession  over  the 


104  WAGNER'S  MUSiaDRAMAS. 

rocky  height.  Meanwhile  with  majestic  solemnity  the 
orchestra  voices  the  funeral  oration  of  the  "  world's  greatest 
hero."  One  by  one,  but  tragically  interrupted  by  the  Mo- 
tive of  Death,  we  hear  the  motives  which  tell  the  story  of 
the  Walsungs'  futile  struggle  with  destiny — the  Walsung 
Motive,  the  Motive  of  the  Walsung's  Heroism,  the  Motive  of 
Sympathy  and  the  Love  Motive,  the  Sword  Motive,  the 
Siegfried  Motive  and  the  Motive  of  Siegfried  the  Hero, 
around  which  the  Death  Motive  swirls  and  crashes  like  a 
black,  death-dealing,  all-wrecking  flood,  forming  an  over- 
whelmingly powerful  climax  that  dies  away  into  the  Briinn- 
hilde  Motive  with  which,  as  with  a  heart-broken  sigh,  the 
heroic  dirge  is  brought  to  a  close. 

Meanwhile  the  scene  has  changed  to  the  Hall  of  the 
Gibichungs  as  in  the  first  act.  Gutrune  is  listening  through 
the  night  for  some  sound  which  may  announce  the  return  of 
the  hunt. 

Men  and  women  bearing  torches  precede  in  great  agita- 
tion the  funeral  train.  Hagen  grimly  announces  to  Gu- 
trune  that  Siegfried  is  dead.  Wild  with  grief  she  over- 
whelms Gunther  with  violent  accusations.  He  points  to 
Hagen  whose  sole  reply  is  to  demand  the  ring  as  spoil. 
Gunther  refuses.  Hagen  draws  his  sword  and  after  a  brief 
combat  slays  Gunther,  The  victorious  Nibelung  is  about 
to  snatch  the  ring  from  Siegfried's  finger,when  the  corpse's 
hand  suddenly  raises  itself  threateningly,  and  all — even  Ha- 
gen— fall  back  in  consternation. 

Briinnhilde  advances  solemnly  from  the  back.  While 
watching  on  the  bank  of  the  Rhine  she  has  learned  from  the 
Rhine-daughters  the  treachery  of  which  she  and  Sieg- 
fried have  been  the  victims.  Her  mien  is  ennobled  by  a 
look  of  tragic  exaltation.  To  her  the  grief  of  Gutrune  is  but 
the  whining  of  a  child.    When  the  latter  realizes  that  it  was 


"THE  DUSK  OF  THE  GODSr  105 

Briinnhilde  whom  she  caused  Siegfried  to  forget  through 
the  love-potion,  she  falls  fainting  over  Gunthers  body.  Ha- 
gen  leaning  on  his  spear  is  lost  in  gloomy  brooding. 

Briinnhilde  turns  solemnly  to  the  men  and  women  and 
bids  them  erect  a  funeral  pyre.  The  orchestral  harmonies 
shimmer  with  the  Magic  Fire  Motive  through  which  courses 
the  Motive  of  the  Ride  of  the  Valkyrs.  Then,  her  counte- 
nance transfigured  by  love,  she  gazes  upon  her  dead  hero 
and  apostrophizes  his  memory  in  the  Motive  of  Love's  Greet- 
ing. From  him  she  looks  upward  and  in  the  Walhall  a  Mo- 
tive and  the  Motive  of  Briinnhilde's  Pleading  passionately 
inveighs  against  the  injustice  of  the  gods.  The  Curse  Mo- 
tive is  followed  (p.  326, 1.  2,  bar  4)  by  a  wonderfully  beauti- 
ful combination  of  the  Walhalla  Motive  and  the  Motive  of 
the  Gods'  Stress  at  Briinnhilde  s  words  : 

Rest  thee !  Rest  thee !  O,  God  I 

For,  with  the  fading  away  of  Walhalla,  and  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  reign  of  human  love  in  place  of  that  of  lust  and 
greed — a  change  to  be  wrought  by  the  approaching  expia- 
tion of  Briinnhilde  for  the  crimes  which  began  with  the 
wresting  of  the  Rhinegold  from  the  Rhine-daughters —  Wo- 
tan's  stress  will  be  at  an  end.  Briinnhilde  having  told  in 
the  graceful,  rippling  Rhine  music  how  she  learned  of  Ha- 
gen's  treachery  through  the  Rhine-daughters,  places  upon 
her  finger  the  ring.  Then  turning  toward  the  pyre  upon 
which  Siegfried's  body  rests,  she  snatches  a  huge  firebrand 
from  one  of  the  men.  Flinging  it  upon  the  pyre,  which  kin- 
dles brightly,  she  hurries  toward  Grane.  As  the  moment  of 
her  immolation  approaches  the  Motive  of  Expiation  begins 
to  dominate  the  scene  (p.  333,  1.  i,  bar  2). 

It  wings  its  flight  higher  and  higher  until  it  seems  to  have 
soared  to  the  height  of  emotional  exaltation.    Briinnhilde 


106  WA  ONER'S  M USIC-DRAMA  S. 

swings  herself  upon  Crane's  back,  and  with  a  mighty  bound 
the  steed  bears  his  noble  rider  into  the  blazing  pyre.  Men 
and  women  in  extreme  terror  crowd  into  the  foreground. 
Suddenly  the  Rhine  is  seen  to  overflow,  and  borne  on  the 
flood  the  Rhine-daughters  swim  to  the  pyre  and  reclaim  the 
ring.  Hagen  plunges  madly  after  them  into  the  flood  and 
they  draw  him  down  with  them.  A  deep  glow  illumines  the 
heavens.  It  is  the  dusk  of  the  gods.  Walhalla  is  seen  en- 
veloped in  flames.  Once  more  the  Walhalla  Motive  re- 
sounds majestically.  But  the  Motive  of  Expiation  breaks  in 
upon  it  with  overwhelming  power.  For  the  last  time  we 
hear  the  Siegfried  Motive  and  then  with  the  Motive  of  Ex- 
piation a  new  era — that  of  human  love — rises  in  all  its  glory 
from  the  ruins  of  the  empire  of  the  gods. 


-^^^i^'^^^^^k^- 


^.^ 


^TE 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

MUSIC  LIBRARY 

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nmz 


^^^19^72 


OCT  li  V  19 /Z 


MAY  2  3  1974 


nrn  2.7  1974 


JUN  1 3  1975 


AUG2  0l.q7R 


JUN  30  1978 


JUN  1  5  1978 


HCS    )7/i/n 


JUL  13  1978 


#^ 


ms 


LD21A-5m-2,'71 
(P2001sl0)476 — A-32 


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